ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Autonomy

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General whether the Serious Fraud Office has decided to investigate the sale of Autonomy or refer the case to another law enforcement agency.

Dominic Grieve: Allegations have been made to the SFO about the circumstances of the sale in 2011 of Autonomy to Hewlett Packard. The Director of the Serious Fraud Office has decided to open an investigation into these allegations, with a view to using his powers of investigation to allow them to be tested.

Autonomy

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General on what date the Serious Fraud Office (a) opened an investigation into the sale of Autonomy, (b) became aware of a possible conflict of interest in conducting that investigation and (c) initiated internal enquiries into that possible conflict of interest.

Dominic Grieve: The SFO has always been aware of the risk of conflict or perception of conflict in this case. It has, from the outset, kept the issue under careful review, and it will continue to do so as the investigation develops. The Director accepted the case for investigation on 31 January 2013.

Chris Huhne and Vicky Pryce

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what the cost to the Crown Prosecution Service was of prosecuting (a) Chris Huhne and (b) Vicky Pryce.

Dominic Grieve: The cost to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) of prosecuting (a) Chris Huhne and (b) Vicky Pryce was approximately £117,500. Joint proceedings were brought against Mr Huhne and Ms Pryce and, accordingly, it is not possible to quantify with certainty the cost of prosecuting either individually.

Crown Prosecution Service

John Hemming: To ask the Attorney-General what assessment he has made of the robustness and effectiveness of the present form of accountability and oversight of the Crown Prosecution Service.

Dominic Grieve: It is of fundamental constitutional importance, and a legal requirement, that the prosecuting authorities act independently of Government and Parliament so that all prosecutorial decisions are made, and are seen to be made, free of any political influence, based solely on an assessment of the evidence and of the public interest.
	As Attorney-General, also in this respect acting independently of Government and Parliament, I have statutory superintendence of the Director of Public Prosecutions and, through him, the CPS. The relationship between the Attorney-General and the DPP was considered in the Constitutional Renewal programme under the last Government and resulted in a protocol between the Attorney-General and the DPP. The protocol is publicly available. My answerability in Parliament in respect of the DPP means that the Attorney-General is ready always to seek to explain to Parliament the role, the policies and the approach to decision-making of the CPS. Parliament, in turn, has always recognised that the merits of any prosecution decision, and the guilt or innocence of individuals, must be determined in the usual way by the courts rather than public debate.
	In addition, the Director has himself given evidence to the Justice and Home Affairs Committees. As Accounting Officer for the CPS, he is directly accountable to Parliament for the expenditure of public funds.

Crown Prosecution Service

John Hemming: To ask the Attorney-General how many private prosecutions have been taken over and discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service since January 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not hold any management information centrally on the number of private prosecutions referrals it has received from January 2000 to February 2011.
	Since February 2011, the CPS has maintained information for its own internal management purposes on the number of private prosecutions referrals it has received. The information should be treated with caution as it was intended for internal use only, and may not have captured every case referred to the CPS; but, it gives a good indication of the general level of referrals of private prosecutions to the CPS and what happened to the cases. The information shows the CPS has been referred 49 cases since February 2011 and 28 where at least one charge has been taken over and stopped.

Crown Prosecution Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many compromise agreements have been entered into by departing Crown Prosecution Service staff since 2010; and whether any of these agreements contained gagging clauses.

Oliver Heald: The number of compromise agreements with confidentiality clauses entered into by departing Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) staff each year since 2010 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of agreements 
			 2010 9 
			 2011 13 
			 2012 20 
			 2013 to date 4 
			 Total to date 46

Annual Leave

Priti Patel: To ask the Attorney-General how many officials in (a) the Law Officers' Departments and (b) each of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies qualify for privilege days; and what the total cost to the public purse was of the number of privilege days utilised each year by such officials.

Dominic Grieve: All officials working in the Law Officers' Department qualify for privilege days. The current entitlement is 2.5 privilege days per year in addition to bank holidays and their annual leave entitlement. The privilege days are the Queen's birthday, a day at Christmas and a half day on Maundy Thursday. As part of the Civil Service Reform Plan the entitlement will reduce to one day during 2013-14.
	The number of officials who currently qualify for privilege days and the cost for each Department is shown in the following table. The cost of the current arrangements can only be estimated by taking the total salary cost and giving an average cost for each day's pay.
	
		
			 Department Number of officials who qualify for privilege days Estimated cost of privilege days (£) 
			 Treasury Solicitor's Department(1) 1,024 390,000 
			 Serious Fraud Office 303 107,000 
			 Crown Prosecution Service 7,346 2,191,000 
			 (1) The data include the Attorney-General's Office and Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate

Rape: Trials

Robert Flello: To ask the Attorney-General how many (a) victims and (b) witnesses in rape cases who gave evidence in courts in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012 were advised by the Crown Prosecution Service not to receive counselling.

Oliver Heald: Advice by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on the decision whether witnesses receive counselling has been available since 2001. The guidance: ‘Provision of therapy for Vulnerable or Intimidated Adult Witnesses prior to a criminal trial’ and ‘Provision of therapy for Child Witnesses prior to a criminal trial’, was endorsed by the Home Office, Department of Health and the Attorney-General's Office and is available on the CPS website at:
	http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/s_to_u/#1gT
	Whether a victim or witness should receive therapy before a criminal trial is not a decision for the CPS. Such decisions can only be taken by the victim or witness or his or her carer, in conjunction with the professionals from the agencies providing a service to the victim or witness or with responsibility for the victim or witness's welfare. The best interests of the victim or witness, whether an adult or child, are paramount in decisions about the provision of therapy before the criminal trial.

Serious Fraud Office

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General whether the Serious Fraud Office is being sued by any current or former members of staff.

Oliver Heald: No former or current employees are suing the SFO, but there is one employment tribunal listed.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Biofuels

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to secure biomass conversion on existing sites.

John Hayes: The Department provides support for the conversion of existing power stations through the Renewables Obligation. Until 31 March 2013, support is available for fully converted stations at a rate of l.5 ROCs per MWh. From 1 April 2013, subject to State Aid approval, support for stations converting to biomass will be available as set out in the following table.
	
		
			 Band ROC support per MWh 
			 Low-range co-firing of biomass 0.3 ROCs until 31 March 2015 
			  0.5 ROCs from 1 March 2015 
			   
			 Mid-range co-firing of biomass 0.6 ROCS 
			   
			 High range co-firing of biomass 0.7 ROCs until 31 March 2014 
			  0.9 ROCs from 1 April 2014 
			   
			 Biomass conversion 1 ROC 
		
	
	Furthermore, we published on 14 March 2013, the Government's ‘Final Investment Decision Enabling for Renewables’ programme which sets out the opportunity for an early form of Contract for Difference and will be available to biomass conversions.
	The Government aim to offer investment contracts to successful applicants in the autumn, based on the draft strike prices and contract terms that will be published in the summer under the First EMR Delivery Plan.
	By helping developers make final investment decisions this year, this process should allow construction to start on a number of projects sooner than otherwise would have been the case.
	Decisions about the choice of scheme and whether to convert existing plants from fossil fuel to biomass will need to be taken by investors in those facilities.

Biofuels

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the loss in generating capacity if his planned biomass conversion projects do not materialise.

John Hayes: The impact assessment accompanying the Government response to the banding review published in July 2012 estimated around 3.2 GW of renewable capacity from enhanced co-firing and biomass conversion over the banding review period (2013-14 to 2016-17).
	The estimate above represents the biomass capacity of these plants, not the capacity of the entire coal plant. The commercial decision to convert to biomass is taken by individual operators, who may have a number of operating options available to them.

Biofuels

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect on imports of a cap on subsidies on (a) current and (b) future imports of bioliquids.

John Hayes: In July 2012, we published the Government response to the RO banding review consultation explaining the decisions reached on support for electricity generated from bioliquids. The Government response was accompanied by an impact assessment of the RO banding decisions.
	We are introducing a 4% cap on the proportion of their renewables obligation that electricity suppliers can meet using certificates issued for electricity generated from bioliquids (with exceptions for CHP stations below 1 MW, energy from waste with CHP, advanced conversion fuels and microgenerators). The bioliquids cap equates to approximately 2 TWh of bioliquid electricity generation in 2017. The modelling for the impact assessment accompanying the Government response to the RO banding review showed that the support levels set for April 2013 onwards are not expected to bring on additional new deployment of bioliquid electricity generation, however, this is uncertain and there could be a small amount of new deployment of low cost bioliquid generation.
	The impact assessment does not assess the likely source of the bioliquids. However, to date the vast majority of electricity generated through the RO from bioliquids has been wastes, and we expect most of these will have been sourced from the UK. Only electricity generated from bioliquids which meet the mandatory sustainability criteria are eligible for support, regardless of their source.

Carbon Capture and Storage: Yorkshire

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had on the implementation of carbon capture and storage projects in Yorkshire.

John Hayes: Yorkshire is emerging as one of the areas of the UK with a hive of CCS activity. The UK’s first carbon capture pilot was launched at Ferrybridge last year with Government funding.
	The UK CCS Research Centre’s new specialist research facilities will begin operations early next year at Beighton. We have funded several projects in the area through our £125 million research and development programme and Yorkshire is also represented in the shortlist of our £1 billion CCS competition.

Decarbonisation

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent representations he has received on decarbonisation of the power sector by 2030.

Gregory Barker: The Department has received representations on the decarbonisation of the power sector by 2030 from a range of stakeholders in recent weeks, including the Committee on Climate Change, industry, and Members of Parliament.
	This is a very important matter and we have made it our priority to respond in the most helpful way possible. Our view remains that we are doing the right thing by taking new powers through the Energy Bill to set a target in 2016, at the same time as setting the level of the fifth carbon budget.

Electricity Generation

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of electricity generated was contributed by each mode of generation in the latest period for which figures are available.

John Hayes: The following table shows the electricity generation broken down by generation mode, for 2011 and quarter 3 2012, the latest year and quarter for which this information is available. Provisional data for quarter 4 2012 and 2012 as a whole will be available on 28 March 2013.
	
		
			  2011 generation (TWh) 2011 percentage of total generation Q3 2012 generation (TWh) Q3 2012 percentage of total generation 
			 Coal 108.6 29.5 28.7 35.4 
			 Oil 3.7 1.0 0.7 0.9 
			 Gas 146.8 39.9 22.8 28.2 
			 Nuclear 69.0 18.8 18.0 22.3 
			 Hydro (natural flow) 5.7 1.5 1.0 1.3 
			 Wind and Solar PV 15.7 4.3 4.7 5.8 
			 Bioenergy 13.0 3.5 3.8 4.7 
			 Pumped Storage 2.9 0.8 0.7 0.9 
			 Other Fuels 2.4 0.7 0.6 0.7 
			 Total 367.8  81.0  
			 Source: Energy Trends table ET 5.1, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electricity-section-5-energy-trends A full breakdown of renewable electricity generation can be found in table ET 6.1 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/renewables-section-6-energy-trends

Electricity Generation

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what measure the Government intends to use to determine whether participation of demand-side response, including embedded generation, within the capacity mechanism is successful.

John Hayes: The Government are committed to ensuring that demand side-response (DSR) can participate effectively within the capacity market. This is why we have committed to putting in place transitional arrangements within the capacity market which will help develop the capacity and capability of the DSR sector. These arrangements will allow us to better understand how to get the best out of DSR within the capacity market and how the industry is developing within the GB market. The terms of the transitional arrangements, including the process to review success, remain under development. Further details will be published in May 2013.

Green Deal Scheme

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he plans to take to remove barriers to entry to the Green Deal from (a) energy companies, (b) Green Deal delivery providers and (c) householders.

Gregory Barker: The Green Deal framework has been designed to enable organisations of all sizes to be able to participate in the market. DECC has actively supported entry of smaller or new organisations by waiving registration and lodgement fees for the first two years as well as providing £3 million for the training of Green Deal advisers and installers of solid wall insulation.
	In order to give an early boost to the Green Deal market, Government also opened a cash back scheme in January which will make cash payments—which could be £1,000 or more in some cases—to early customers of the Green Deal.

Green Deal Scheme

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many homes have so far (a) registered and (b) received funding from the Green Deal scheme since its inception; and how many of these homes are located in (i) Kingston upon Hull and (ii) Kingston upon Hull North constituency.

Gregory Barker: Regarding the number of homes that have been "registered" for Green Deal, I am assuming this means those where a Green Deal Assessment has been undertaken. Up to the end of February, and for the whole of Great Britain, there were 1,803 Green Deal Assessments lodged on the central register. We intend to publish geographic breakdowns of Green Deal Assessments in the June 2013 quarterly official statistics release. On funding, the Department will also release statistics on the number of Green Deal Plans in June.

Green Deal Scheme

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what incentives his Department has put in place to encourage private landlords to participate in the Green Deal.

Gregory Barker: Under the Green Deal, landlords will be able to make energy efficiency improvements without having to pay all the costs upfront. Tenants will repay the cost of the measures through their energy bill savings while enjoying a more energy efficient home. This is intended to overcome the “split incentive”, and avoid landlords being unwilling to make improvements which reduce bills that they do not pay.
	The Energy Act 2011 stipulates Government must regulate to help ensure the take-up of cost effective energy efficiency improvements in the Private Rented Sector.
	No later than April 2016, domestic landlords will not be able to unreasonably refuse requests from their tenants for consent to energy efficiency improvements, where financial support is available, such as the Green Deal. No later than April 2018, all private rented properties (domestic and non-domestic) will be brought up to a minimum energy efficiency standard rating, likely to be set at EPC rating ‘E'.

Green Deal Scheme

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to review the Green Deal after two years.

Gregory Barker: As set out in the Energy Act 2011 at section 109 (1), the Government will publish by the end of 2014 the first annual report into the extent to which the Green Deal has contributed to the carbon budgets set under section 4(l)(b) of the Climate Change Act 2008.

Green Deal Scheme: Worcester

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many homes in Worcester have applied for assessments under the Green Deal in 2013.

Gregory Barker: DECC will publish geographic breakdowns of Green Deal assessments in the June 2013 quarterly official statistics release. Up to end of February for the whole of Great Britain there were 1,803 Green Deal assessments lodged on the central register.

Green Deal Scheme: Worcester

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of new employment opportunities in (a) Worcester and (b) Worcestershire as a result of the Green Deal and his Department's other energy efficiency programmes.

Gregory Barker: The Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation are expected to boost the burgeoning low carbon economy, encourage innovation in the supply chain and more than double the potential for jobs growth—up to 60,000 jobs in the insulation sector alone by 2015, up from around 26,000 in 2011. The Department does not have a breakdown of these estimated job opportunities by region.

Housing: Insulation

Duncan Hames: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of homes which require improvement of (a) loft, (b) wall cavity and (c) solid wall insulation.

Gregory Barker: There are around 27 (26.9) million homes in Great Britain; more than half do not have enough insulation.
	Most easy-to-treat cavities have now been insulated, and nearly all the remaining lofts would only benefit from topping up of existing insulation. However, only around 2% of solid wall properties have so far been tackled.

Housing: Insulation

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many homes in Worcester have received insulation in (a) 2012, (b) 2011 and (c) 2010 under his Department's programmes.

Gregory Barker: Information on insulation measures installed under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT), which was the Government's main domestic energy efficiency policy for the period concerned, is compiled by the Home Energy Efficiency Database (HEED) overseen by the Energy Saving Trust. The latest published data are provided below for the Worcester local authority area. For technical reasons the HEED database tends to under report by around 10%, the actual number of installations will therefore be higher. Information on the final period of CERT, covering the period up until the end of 2012, will be published later this year.
	
		
			 CERT years—commencing 2008 (1 April to 31 March) Cavity wall insulation measures Loft insulation measures 
			 CERT Year 1 (2008-09) 837 955 
			 CERT Year 2 (2009-10) 1,312 1,047 
			 CERT Year 3 (2010-11) 829 863 
			 CERT Year 4 (2011-12) 714 1,315

Mobile Phones

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which company holds the largest contract to provide mobile telephony services to his Department; how much is paid each year under that contract; how many individual devices are covered by the contract; when the contract was awarded; and when and how the contract will next be reviewed.

Gregory Barker: The company that holds the largest contract providing mobile telephony services in DECC, is Vodafone UK Ltd.
	This contract, four years in length, was awarded on 1 April 2011 and expires on 1 April 2015.
	For last year, 2011-12, DECC paid £168,000 including VAT.
	In total, 691 individual devices are included in the contract, (which are broken down as follows);
	350 BlackBerry devices,
	243 3G mobile devices,
	98 mobile devices.
	Since the contract is not up for renewal until 2015, we have not yet considered the contract review.

North Sea Oil

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to ensure that North sea oil continues to make a contribution to national energy supplies.

John Hayes: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave on 14 March 2013, Official Report, column 463.

Pay

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much was paid in (a) year-end and (b) in-year bonuses to officials in his Department in the last year for which figures are available.

Gregory Barker: The Department uses non-consolidated performance-related payments to help drive high performance as they:
	encourage continuous high attainment because the payments are dependent upon continuing strong performance;
	prevent a permanent rise in salary and an increase in pension on the basis of one off performances while still allowing good performance to be rewarded;
	have no long-term costs, in particular it does not increase future pension payments;
	focus the work of employees more directly on the priority goals of the organisation;
	motivate employees by linking an element of compensation to the achievement of objectives rather than offering payment for time served;
	target money at those who make the biggest contribution.
	End-year non-consolidated performance awards are used to reward the Department’s highest performers as assessed in their end of year appraisal reports.
	The Department paid (a) £789,075 in year-end non-consolidated awards and (b) £233,111 as in-year non-consolidated awards for the 2011-12 performance year.

Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much was paid to officials in (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies in bonuses and other payments in addition to salary in each of the last five years; how many officials received such payments; and what the monetary value was of the 20 largest payments made in each year.

Gregory Barker: Details of bonus payments made to officials of the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) for the years 2009-10 and 2010-11 were provided in the answer published on 17 January 2012, Official Report, column 676-777W, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library. DECC was formed in October 2008 and as such does not hold the information for the 2008-09 financial year or any year prior to this.
	The details of bonus and other payments made in addition to salary by the Department of Energy and Climate Change for 2011-12 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Description 2011-12 
			 Total of bonus and other payments (£) 9,072,483 
			   
			 Number of people receiving payments 1,062 
			   
			 Total of top 20 payments (£) 12,000 x 1 
			  10,000 x 5 
			  7,500 x 14 
		
	
	The details of bonus payments made to officials in the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority are set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Total amount paid in bonus (£) Total number of employees who received payment Monetary value of 20 largest payments (£) 
			 2008-09 4,999,256 345 753,556 
			 2009-10 4,743,613 353 685,708 
			 2010-11 3,251,350 270 682,022 
		
	
	
		
			 2011-12 3,113,163 286 682,172 
			 2012-13 (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 (1) No data yet available 
		
	
	Details of other payments made in addition to salary to other members of staff is held by an outsourced shared service contractor. To gather that information would incur disproportionate costs.
	Details of bonus payments made to officials of the Civil Nuclear Police Authority for the years 2009-10 and 2010-11 were provided in the answer published on 17 January 2012, Official Report, columns 676-77W, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library. Data for 2011-12 and 2012-13 are set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Description 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Total value of top 20 end year bonus awards (£) 87,425.90 111,917.04 
			    
			 Total number of people receiving awards 158 199 
			    
			 Top 20 payments (£) 7,621.11 15,242.04 
			  6,350.85 13,064.76 
			  6,350.82 10,887.12 
			  6,350.82 10,887.12 
			  5,253.00 5,252.00 
			  4,710.00 5,018.00 
		
	
	
		
			  4,674.00 4,766.00 
			  4,663.00 4,732.00 
			  4,249.00 4,321.00 
			  3,913.00 4,233.00 
			  3,903.00 3,903.00 
			  3,892.10 3,892.00 
			  3,592.60 3,593.00 
			  3,592.60 3,593.00 
			  3,222.00 3,308.00 
			  3,222.00 3,273.00 
			  3,148.00 3,000.00 
			  2,906.00 2,984.00 
			  2,906.00 2,984.00 
			  2,906.00 2,984.00 
		
	
	The details of all other payments paid in addition to salary to officials of the Civil Nuclear Police Authority are as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2009-10 1,817,114 
			 2010-11 2,051,026 
			 2011-12 2,112,549 
			 2012-13 (to 31 January 2013) 2,221,202 
		
	
	The details of bonus payments made to officials of the Committee on Climate Change are set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Description 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Total value of end year and in year bonus awards (£) 38,278 59,340 50,400 54,652 
			      
			 Total number of people receiving awards 7 12 12 13 
			      
			 Top 20 payments (£) 15,000 x 1 15,000 x 1 15,000 x 1 15,000 x 1 
			  2,600 x 6 4,000 x 1 7,000 x 1 5,000 x 2 
			   2,800 x 1 3,000 x 1 2,000 x 9 
			   1,500 x 2 2,500 x 9 1,600 x 1 
			   1,300 x 3   
			   31,100 x 4   
		
	
	There are no other payments, apart from salary, made to officials at the Committee on Climate Change.
	Details of bonus payments made to officials of the Coal Authority for the years 2009-10 and 2010-11 were provided in the answer published on 17 January 2012, Official Report, columns 676-77W, a copy of which is available in the Libraries of the House. The data for 2011-12 are not currently available. A copy of these data will be placed in the House of Commons Library as soon as they are available.

Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what allowances and subsidies in addition to salary were available to officials in (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies in each of the last five years; and what the monetary value was of such payments and allowances in each such year.

Gregory Barker: The allowances available to civil servants in the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) are unchanged from that provided in the answer published on 17 January 2012, Official Report, columns 676-77W, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library except for the monetary value of offshore allowances. These have increased with effect from 1 August 2012 as set out as follows.
	
		
			 Period Rate (£) 
			 Full 24 hours period 100 
			 Part 24 hours period 57.15 
		
	
	There are no subsidies available to civil servants in DECC.
	Details of payments made to senior members of staff within the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority is available in their annual resource and accounts via their internet website. Links to these documents are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Internet address 
			 2007-08 http://www.nda.gov.uk/documents/upload/Annual-Report-and-Accounts-2007-2008.pdf 
			 2008-09 http://www.nda.gov.uk/documents/upload/Annual-Report-and-Accounts-2008-2009.pdf 
			 2009-10 http://www.nda.gov.uk/documents/upload/Annual-Report-and-Accounts-2009-2010.pdf 
			 2010-11 http://www.nda.gov.uk/documents/upload/Annual-Report-and-Accounts-2010-2011.pdf 
			 2011-12 http://www.nda.gov.uk/documents/upload/Annual-Report-and-Accounts-2011-2012.pdf 
		
	
	Details of allowance payments made to other members of staff is held by an outsourced shared service contractor. To gather that information would incur disproportionate costs.
	There no allowances or subsidies available to officials in the Committee on Climate Change.
	The total cost of allowances paid by the Civil Nuclear Police Authority are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 £ 
			 Allowance 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 (10 months) 
			 Special Priority Payments 167,369.76 180,100 253,600.47 404,875.57 
			 South East Allowance 206,910.05 269,119.09 309,517.97 293,223.56 
			 Competency Threshold Payment 248,126.84 282,115.88 285,639.69 272,798.63 
		
	
	Details of allowance payments made by the Coal Authority for the years 2009-10 and 2010-11 were provided in the answer published in on 17 January 2012, Official Report, columns 676-77W, a copy of which is available in the Libraries of the House. The data for 2011-12 are not currently available. A copy of the data will be placed in the House of Commons Library as soon as the data are available.

Recruitment

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many officials were recruited to (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies in each of the last five years.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) was created in October 2008 to bring together energy policy (previously with BERR, which is now BIS—the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) and climate change mitigation policy (previously with DEFRA—the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs). Therefore no data exist prior to that date.
	The number of civil servants who have joined DECC is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number joining 
			 January to December 2009 153 
			 January to December 2010 198 
			 January to December 2011 132 
			 January to December 2012 339 
			 January to February 2013 55 
		
	
	The number of officials who have joined the Coal Authority is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number joining 
			 April 2008 to March 2009 11 
			 April 2009 to March 2010 11 
			 April 2010 to March 2011 5 
			 April 2011 to March 2012 9 
			 April 2012 to February 2013 14 
		
	
	The number of officials who have joined the Civil Nuclear Police Authority is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number joining 
			 January to December 2008 80 
			 January to December 2009 129 
			 January to December 2010 100 
			 January to December 2011 261 
			 January to December 2012 215 
			 January to February 2013 75 
		
	
	The number of officials who have joined the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number joining 
			 March 2008 to February 2009 51 
			 March 2009 to February 2010 27 
			 March 2010 to February 2011 8 
			 March 2011 to February 2012 21 
			 March 2012 to February 2013 31 
		
	
	The number of officials who have joined the Committee on Climate Change is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number joining 
			 November 2008(1) to March 2009 22 
			 April 2009 to March 2010 16 
			 April 2010 to March 2011 9 
			 April 2011 to March 2012 9 
			 (1) The Committee on Climate Change was created on 26 November 2008.

Redundancy Pay

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much was paid by his Department in redundancy payments in each of the last two years; and how many officials received such payments.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change's expenditure on redundancy and the number of officials receiving such payments in each of the last two years are published in its annual report and accounts as follows:
	2011-12 report (HC 63) page 118:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/48452/5718-decc-annual-report-and-accounts-201112-.pdf

Sickness Absence

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many days (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies has lost to staff sickness in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the cost of such absence in each year.

Gregory Barker: The following tables show the number of days of sickness absence recorded for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and for each of the non-departmental public bodies for which it is responsible.
	
		
			 DECC 
			  Number of days of sickness absence Estimated cost of absence(1 )(£) 
			 1 January to 31 December 2012 3,731 630,733 
			 1 January to 31 December 2011 4,958.5 871,318 
			 1 January to 31 December 2010 4,011.5 711,021 
			 (1 )The estimated cost of the absences have been calculated on 2012 average salary costs as civil servants have been subject to a pay freeze for the past two years. 
		
	
	Prior to 2010 the Shared Service provision for DECC was delivered by our predecessor departments. Data prior to that date are not held centrally and to gather it would incur disproportionate costs.
	
		
			 Committee on climate change 
			  Number of days of sickness absence Estimated cost of absence(1)(£) 
			 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 20 2,600 
			 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 29 3,800 
			 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 21 2,800 
			 26 November 2008(1) to 31 March 2009 5 7,000 
			 (1 )The Committee on Climate Change was formed on 26 November 2008. 
		
	
	
		
			 Nuclear Decommissioning Authority 
			  Number of days of sickness absence Estimated cost of absence 
			 1 March 2011 to 29 February 2012 1,214 (1)— 
			 1 March 2010 to 28 February 2011 1,487 (1)— 
			 1 March 2009 to 28 February 2010 1,635 (1)— 
			 1 March 2008 to 28 February 2009 1,591 (1)— 
			 1 March 2008 to 28 February 2009 4.92 (1)— 
			 (1 )The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has made no estimate of the cost of such absences as these were significantly lower than the national average days lost. To calculate these costs would incur disproportionate costs. 
		
	
	
		
			 Coal Authority 
			  Number of days of sickness absence Estimated cost of absence (£) 
			 1 April 2012 to 28 February 2013 826 87,700 
			 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 701 59,700 
			 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 721 81,500 
			 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 574.5 45,500 
			 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009 751 79,500 
		
	
	The Civil Nuclear Police Authority have not been able to supply data for this response. Their response will be placed in the House of Commons Library as soon as it is available.

Sickness Absence

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies have had (i) fewer than five days, (ii) five to 10 days, (iii) 10 to 15 days, (iv) 15 to 20 days, (v) 20 to 25 days, (vi) 25 to 50 days, (vii) 50 to 75 days, (viii) 75 to 100 days, (ix) 100 to 150 days, (x) 150 to 200 days, (xi) more than 200 days, (xii) more than three months, (xiii) more than six months and (xiv) more than one year on paid sick leave (A) consecutively and (B) in total in each of the last five years.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) regularly records, collates and analyses its recorded sickness absence in a common format as requested by the Cabinet Office. The following analysis shows absences as either short term (less than 21 days) or long term (21 days or more). To carry out any further analysis would incur disproportionate costs.
	
		
			 DECC 
			  Number of people with short term absences Number of people with long term absences Total number of people with absences 
			 1 January to 31 December 2012 336 23 359 
			 1 January to 31 December 2011 309 26 335 
		
	
	
		
			 1 January to 31 December 2010 340 18 358 
		
	
	Prior to 2010 the Shared Service provision for DECC was delivered by our predecessor departments. Data prior to that date are not held centrally and to gather them would incur disproportionate costs.
	
		
			 Committee on Climate Change 
			  Number of days of sickness absence 
			 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 20 
			 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 29 
			 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 21 
			 26 November 2008(1) to 31 March 2009 5 
			 (1 )The Committee on Climate Change was formed on 26 November 2008 
		
	
	The Committee on Climate Change records sickness absence on a manual system, with only our Shared Service provider maintaining historic records. Any further analysis apart from the total number of days per year, as provided in question 147986, would incur disproportionate costs.
	
		
			 Coal Authority 
			  No of people with short term absences No of people with long term absences Total number of people with absences 
			 1 April 2012 to 28 February 2013 10 48 58 
			 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 5 65 70 
			 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 6 87 95 
			 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 5 87 92 
			 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009 9 78 87 
		
	
	The Coal Authority regularly records, collates and analyses its recorded sickness absence. The analysis above shows absences as either short term (less than 21 days) or long term (21 days or more). To carry out any further analysis would incur disproportionate costs.
	
		
			 Nuclear Decommissioning Authority 
			  Number of periods of sickness absence Total number of people with absences 
			 1 March 2012 to 28 February 2013 213 138 
			 1 March 2011 to 29 February 2012 201 122 
			 1 March 2010 to 28 February 2011 239 148 
			 1 March 2009 to 28 February 2010 328 192 
			 1 March 2008 to 28 February 2009 314 175 
		
	
	The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority regularly records, collates and analyses its recorded sickness absence. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has made no estimate of the cost of sickness absence as these were significantly lower than the national average days lost. To carry out any further analysis would incur disproportionate costs.
	The Civil Nuclear Police Authority have not been able to supply the data for this response. Their response will be placed in the House of Commons Library as soon as it is available.

Telephone Services

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many (a) 0800, (b) 0808, (c) 0844, (d) 0845 and (e) 0870 telephone numbers for the public are in use by (i) his Department and (ii) the agencies for which he is responsible.

Gregory Barker: At the Department of Energy and Climate Change there is one 0800 number in use by the Central Department for 'Energy Saving Scotland'.
	One Agency—The Coal Authority—also uses one 0845 number.'
	There are no other numbers used by the Department or its Agencies for the public.

Temporary Employment

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department paid in agency fees for temporary staff in each of the last two years; and how many individuals received such payments.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change spend on temporary staff is published in its annual report and accounts 2010-11 (HC 1009 page 11):
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/48141/2212-decc-annual-report-20102011.pdf
	and 2011-12 (HC 63 page 44):
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/48452/5718-decc-annual-report-and-accounts-201112-.pdf
	We are unable to identify the proportion of the expenditure that relates to agency fees because, generally, the agency invoices do not separate their fee from the underlying cost of the temporary staff member. The number of individuals in receipt of payments cannot be determined without incurring disproportionate costs.

Termination of Employment

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies have left that body due to (i) resignation, (ii) retirement, (iii) redundancy, (iv) transferral to another public sector post and (v) another reason in each of the last five years.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) was created in October 2008, to bring together energy policy (previously with BERR, which is now BIS—the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills), and climate change mitigation policy (previously with DEFRA—the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs). Therefore no data exist prior to that date.
	The number of civil servants who have left DECC is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Resignation Retirement Redundancy Transfer to other Government Departments Other Total 
			 January to December 2009 10 — — 18 53 81 
			 January to December 2010 14 4 — 7 36 61 
			 January to December 2011 40 9 — 18 53 120 
			 January to December 2012 46 10 — 45 72 173 
			 January to February 2013 2 1 — 10 6 19 
		
	
	The number of officials who have left the Coal Authority are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Resignation Retirement Redundancy Transfer to other public sector post Other Total 
			 April 2008 to March 2009 11 1 2 — — 14 
			 April 2009 to March 2010 7 1 — — 2 10 
			 April 2010 to March 2011 8 3 — — 2 13 
			 April 2011 to March 2012 8 1 31 — 1 41 
			 April 2012 to February 2013 7 — 2 — 2 11 
		
	
	The number of officials who have left the Committee on Climate Change are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Resignation Retirement Redundancy Transfer to other public sector post Other Total 
			 November 2008(1) to March 2009 — — — 6 — 6 
			 April 2009 to March 2010 — — — 1 3 4 
			 April 2010 to March 2011 — — — 1 3 4 
			 April 2011 to March 2012 1 — — 6 5 12 
			 (1 )The Committee on Climate Change was formed on 26 November 2008. 
		
	
	The number of officials who have left the Civil Nuclear Police Authority are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Resignation Retirement Redundancy Transfer to other police sector body Other Total 
			 January to December 2008 15 22 1 9 6 53 
			 January to December 2009 26 15 1 15 9 66 
			 January to December 2010 25 19 — 3 9 58 
			 January to December 2011 40 15 — — 11 66 
			 January to December 2012 55 18 2 — 7 82 
			 January to February 2013 14 — — — 3 17 
		
	
	The number of officials who have left the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Redundancy Retirement Resignation Transfer to other public sector post Other Total 
			 March 2008 to February 2009 — 3 18 — 4 25 
			 March 2009 to February 2010 —  17 — 1 18 
			 March 2010 to February 2011 72 1 20 — 1 94 
			 March 2011 to February 2012 1 — 4 — 1 6 
			 March 2012 to February 2013 — 3 16 — 3 22

Utilities: Meters

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with his counterpart at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs about the roll-out of smart meters for (a) electricity and (b) water.

John Hayes: Ministers have not had such discussions. DECC and DEFRA officials routinely engage on water metering developments and progress on the supplier mandated roll out of smart metering for electricity and gas meters.

Warm Front Scheme: Kingston upon Hull

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many homes in (a) Kingston upon Hull and (b) Kingston upon Hull North constituency participated in the Warm Front scheme in each year since the inception of the scheme.

Gregory Barker: The number of households assisted each year through the Warm Front scheme in (a) Kingston upon Hull and (b) Kingston upon Hull North are presented in the following table:
	
		
			  2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 Total 
			 Kingston upon Hull North parliamentary constituency 258 445 568 489 387 237 89 65 2,539 
			 Kingston upon Hull local authority 573 1,217 1,982 1,523 1,392 738 253 229 7,907 
			 (1) Data are not available prior to 2005-06

Wind Power

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect of onshore and offshore wind turbines on the tourism industry; and what recent discussions he has had with Powys county council on this issue.

John Hayes: I am aware of concerns about the impact of wind turbines on the tourist industry, but overall there is no definitive evidence to date of actual negative effects on tourism.
	A recent report for DECC and RenewableUK by BiGGAR Economics(1) estimated the increase in the turnover of businesses local to onshore wind farm developments. This is available at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/meeting-energy-demand/wind/5229-onshore-wind-direct--wider-economic-impacts.pdf
	I have had no discussions with Powys county council on the effects of wind turbines on the tourist industry. Impacts on tourism will be considered at the public inquiry into five wind farm proposals in Powys commencing in June 2013.
	(1) The findings of the report are based on 18 case studies of experience on the ground, and set out the gross impacts of commercial onshore wind development.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Broadband

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions (a) she and (b) Ministers in her Department have had with Ofcom about lowering the cost and improving the performance of mobile networks through regulated access to BT's ducts and poles on the same price and terms that are already available to fixed line operators.

Edward Vaizey: Ministers within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport meet with Ofcom to discuss a range of matters. Ofcom is responsible for regulating access to BT's network, including the network of ducts and poles, and considers this as part of the regular reviews it carries out to assess the different markets, in particular the Wholesale Local Access Review and the Business Connectivity Market Review.

Broadband

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the effect that a lack of regulated access to BT's poles and ducts for mobile network operators will have on the data speed of the 4G mobile network;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the effect that a lack of regulated access to BT's poles and ducts for mobile network operators will have on the price consumers will pay for 4G mobile network services.

Edward Vaizey: I have not made any assessment of the effect of there not being regulated access to BT's ducts and poles for mobile operators. Ofcom is responsible for regulating access to BT's network, including the network of ducts and poles, which includes determining whether the price charged for access is fair and proportionate.

Broadband: Rural Areas

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 22 January 2013, Official Report, column 234W, on broadband: rural areas, what the timetable is for rolling out the broadband infrastructure improvements support package in rural areas.

Edward Vaizey: DCMS expects to deliver the package of measures to support the roll-out of superfast broadband by the summer of 2013, with the exception of the reforms to the Electronic Communications Code, which require primary legislation. Delivery of the main package by the summer will support commercial broadband deployment and local broadband projects under the Broadband Delivery UK framework.

Digital Technology

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2012, Official Report, column 615W, on digital technology, what discussions she has had in the last six months with (a) ministerial colleagues and (b) key stakeholders about the challenges posed by digital exclusion.

Edward Vaizey: No meetings have been held specifically on digital inclusion as Cabinet Office leads on this policy area. However, DCMS does lead on e-accessibility that seeks to ensure that people with disabilities are able to have access to telecommunications services. As part of this work, I recently met the Under-Secretary of State for Work an Pensions, my hon. Friend the Member for Wirral West (Esther McVey), who has responsibility for disabled people, to discuss how both our Departments can work better together on joining up the work of my Department’s eAccessibility Forum and the Office for Disability Issues development of the cross-government Fulfilling Potential, disability strategy. As part of our wider departmental discussions around the digital inclusion agenda we also discussed the accessibility of telecommunication services, in particular relay services in the UK for disabled and older people, as well as access to recruitment websites for disabled people looking for work.
	I have also held several round table meetings with Ofcom and key stakeholders from the telecommunications industry and businesses with public facing customer service functions, to highlight the need for them to have accessible contact strategies that use a mix of email, SMS, text, and video relay services to facilitate engagement with disabled customers.

Gambling

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to restrict the amount of online gambling advertisements on television.

Hugh Robertson: The Government are not aware of evidence that the current advertising arrangements are jeopardising the licensing objectives of the Gambling Act 2005, but if new compelling evidence emerged which clearly highlighted the need to look again at the restrictions in place it would, in the first instance, be for the appropriate regulators to consider and take action under their existing codes and regulations.

Gaming Machines

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many B2 gaming machines are present in each local authority area in England and Wales in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Hugh Robertson: The Gambling Commission's Industry Statistics 2008-11 published at
	http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/gh-about_us/annual_report_and_accounts.aspx
	show that, as at 30 September 2011, 33,982 category B2 gaming machines were available for use in Great Britain. This included machines that offered B2 and B3 content. The figure, however, cannot be broken down into local authority areas.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of the preferred route of the High Speed 2 train line is (a) currently and (b) expected to be serviced by (i) mobile telephone, (ii) 3G data and (iii) 4G data signal coverage.

Edward Vaizey: We have not assessed current mobile service coverage over the preferred HS2 route. The potential for improved mobile phone and data coverage for passengers on HS2 trains will be considered by the Department for Transport as part of the development of the railway. It is too early to make detailed decisions now about the communications technology that will be needed in the late 2020s and beyond.

Internet

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the proportion of people able to use the internet in each (a) socio-economic group, (b) local authority area and (c) age group.

Nick Hurd: holding answer 12 March 2013
	I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated March 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport asking what assessment she has made of the proportion of people able to use the internet in each (a) socio-economic group, (b) local authority area and (c) age group.
	Quarterly statistics on Internet access are available from the ONS release; Internet Access Quarterly Update, Q4 2012 at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/rdit2/internet-access-quarterly-update/2012-q4/stb-ia-2012-q4.html
	These estimates relate to the question on Internet use asked on the Labour Force Survey. An age breakdown is given in Table 1B and a geographical location breakdown is presented in Table 3B. The breakdown on Table 3B is at NUTS3, the lowest level of geography for robust estimates.
	The latest statistics on the percentage of people aged 16 and over who have used the Internet in the past broken down by socio-economic group have also been provided in the accompanying table. The estimates are based on the question asked only to people aged 16 and over on the Annual Population Survey (i.e. the Annual Labour Force Survey).

Mobile Phones

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her policy is on the unlocking of mobile telephones.

Edward Vaizey: My officials have spoken to Ofcom, the independent regulator for communications, who have advised that:
	In order to use a contract mobile phone across different networks it will usually need to be 'unlocked' from the existing network. Mobile operators 'lock' mobile phones to tie consumers to their networks during the minimum term of a contract where the handset is part of the deal and will usually have been heavily subsidised. The handset can usually be unlocked, once the minimum contract has ended.
	There are no rules preventing providers from doing this and it enables operators to offer cheap or free handsets to people when they sign up to a contract. However, unlocking handsets enables people to take advantage of promotional deals, such as free SIMs, and switch to a new provider if they like their handset, but do not have a good deal. Ofcom continues to keep the rules in this area under review to ensure that the process is working for consumers.

Public Libraries

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will consider adopting the Scottish Public Library Quality Improvement Matrix for libraries in England.

Edward Vaizey: Public Library Service Standards in England were withdrawn by the previous Administration in a move towards increased local autonomy. Local authorities remain best placed to determine how to provide a library service to their local community and the Government are not considering adopting the Scottish Public Library Quality Improvement Matrix for libraries in England.

Social Networking

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department has spent on promoting tweets via its Twitter feed in the last year.

Hugh Robertson: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not spent any money on promoting tweets via its Twitter feed in the last year.

Telecommunications

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when her Department expects to publish the Communications White Paper.

Edward Vaizey: The Communications Paper is due to be published in the spring.

Telephone Services

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with (a) utility providers, (b) banks and building societies and (c) other companies about (i) providing and (ii) advertising to their customers a contact telephone number that is a UK landline number beginning 01, 02 or 03.

Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has had no discussions on this issue with utility providers, banks and building societies and other companies, as telephone numbering is an operational issue for the independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom). Organisations operate in a competitive commercial market and therefore have the freedom to use contact telephone numbers, which meets both their needs and those of customers. However, under General Condition 14, Ofcom requires communications providers to publish transparent pricing information for non-geographic calls (these are non-local numbers such as 0845 and 0871) and such information should also be included in their advertising and promotional material. Also, providers must ensure that these charges are given the same prominence as other call charge information. Ofcom recognises that the current system around non-geographic numbers is unclear for consumers, with confusion around call pricing in particular. Therefore, Ofcom is proposing to make changes to simplify non-geographic numbers. The main proposals are as follows and more detailed information will be made available by Ofcom in due course:
	Freephone, 080 and 116 numbers, to be free from all telephones, landline and mobile.
	Revenue sharing ranges, 084,087,09 and 118 numbers, where a portion of the retail charge is passed back to the receiver of the call, are to have a common simplified structure.

Theatre: Young People

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what measures she has put in place to ensure that children and young people are able to attend the theatre; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: Responsibility for increasing the accessibility of the arts in England lies with Arts Council England (ACE). In 2011-12 ACE provided £98,497,097 of funding to regularly funded organisations who identified their art form as theatre. In 2011-12 ACE also awarded £17,085,761 in grants for the arts to organisations and projects identified as theatre. In 2010-11, the last year that figures are available, regularly funded theatres that responded to ACE's survey reported that they provided 6,637 performances for schools, with 765,000 school children attending with a ticket and an estimated 90,000 more attending on a more informal basis.
	In the hon. Member's area, the Dukes theatre in Lancaster has an extensive creative learning department, including a separate dedicated venue and activity space for young people. The theatre offers a variety of participatory theatre programmes for young people, which includes 12 youth theatres, one of which is based at the Hot House in Morecambe. In 2011-12 Dukes delivered over 150 separate engagement projects for young people in community and school settings which resulted in over 19,000 participations in individual sessions.
	This Government have made clear our commitment to cultural education, including theatre, through commissioning the Henley Review of Cultural Education, and in its response to the review. These publications can be found on the following page of the Department's website:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/8875.aspx

Tourism

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent estimate she has made of the contribution of tourism to the UK economy.

Hugh Robertson: DCMS estimates the direct economic contribution of the tourism sector through the Tourism Satellite Account. DCMS also draws on other sources, such as the Annual Business Survey (ABS) and estimates and research from its arm's length bodies for data on the economic impact of its sectors.
	The Tourism Satellite Account estimates that tourism contributed £44.6 billion to the economy and employed 1,723,000 people in 2009.
	The Heritage Lottery Fund has estimated that UK Heritage tourism directly accounts for £4.3 billion of GDP and creates employment for 113,000 people.

Tourism: VAT

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what representations she has received on the application of a reduced rate of value added tax to visitor attractions, catering and accommodation; and whether she has discussed that matter with HM Revenue and Customs.

Hugh Robertson: The Department frequently receives representations from the British Hospitality Association and other organisations proposing a reduced rate of VAT on hospitality and visitor attractions. These representations have also been made to HM Treasury, which is responsible for VAT. The Secretary of State has not discussed the matter with HM Revenue and Customs.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Welfare: Sports

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that animals used in racing or sport are not abandoned or killed when their use in that sport is over.

David Heath: It is already an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to either abandon an animal or kill an animal in a manner that causes it unnecessary suffering. This applies to owners and keepers of all animals, including racing and retired greyhounds as well as former racehorses.
	There are organisations that offer re-homing services for as many former race dogs and horses as possible.

Animals: Tagging

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 6 February 2013, Official Report, column 15WS, on tackling irresponsible dog ownership, when his Department plans to introduce the necessary regulations to amend the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to allow for the introduction of compulsory microchipping.

David Heath: The regulations, which will be made under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and which will require all dogs to be microchipped from April 2016, are planned to come into force next year.

Badgers

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which (a) non-governmental, (b) charitable or (c) academic bodies or institutions he has consulted about the recently published estimates of badger populations in the two pilot cull areas.

David Heath: The methodology for estimating the badger population in the two pilot cull areas has been subject to peer review by independent experts based at academic research institutions. The use of the data to generate the population estimates was assessed by an independent auditor. For security reasons, DEFRA is unable to disclose the identities of the peer reviewers or the independent auditor, or the names of the institutions at which they work.

Badgers

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what basis and methodology has been used in his Department's estimates of badger numbers in the two badger pilot cull areas.

David Heath: The methodology used to estimate the badger numbers in the two pilot cull areas is publicly available on the DEFRA website at
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/animal-diseases/files/population-badger-pilot-areas.pdf
	and will also be placed in the Library of the House.

Beef

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the EU Commission regarding what tests can be carried out by the EU Food and Veterinary Office on processed and frozen beef in EU member states; and if he will make a statement.

David Heath: In his written ministerial statement of 14 February 2013, Official Report, column 60WS, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs updated the House on discussions held on 13 February with agriculture Ministers from a number of other member states together with the Health and Consumer Policy Commissioner in Brussels. In this statement he reported that we reached agreement on a number of key issues in order to ensure that the current unacceptable situation with horsemeat cannot happen again.
	In a further statement of 27 February 2013, Official Report, column 27WS, the Secretary of State updated the House on further discussions at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council. At this meeting member states endorsed EU-wide action to address the issue through the testing programme and the rapid sharing of information on any illegal activity.

Beef: Horsemeat

Tom Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the tests for horsemeat being conducted by retailers, how many product lines members of the British Meat Processors Association will test; and whether he expects tests being conducted by retailers to be completed by 15 February 2013.

David Heath: In his written ministerial statement of 4 March 2013, Official Report, column 54WS, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs set out the number of tests that have been completed across the food supply chain. A total of 5,430 test results of the most vulnerable processed beef products had been reported to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) by 1 March. This figure represents 95% of affected retail lines and 90% of caterer and wholesaler product lines. The tests continue to show that over 99% of processed beef products contain those ingredients which are stated on the label.
	Members of the British Meat Processors Association (BPMA) are of course included in this programme, as well as in the sampling being carried out by the FSA. We do not have an exact number of how many product lines BMPA members will be testing but they have received the same request as industry.

Beef: Horsemeat

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which members of the British Hospitality Association and British Retail Consortium have withdrawn products as a precaution in case they contain horsemeat; which products they have withdrawn; and whether any such suppliers supply schools and hospitals.

David Heath: Products that have tested positive for horse DNA at 1% or above have been included in the results published by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) on 1 March,
	http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/meat-test-130301.pdf
	The FSA's website will be updated to include any further products that test positive. For products withdrawn on a precautionary basis by food companies and retailers it would be advisable to refer to the retailers' and producers' websites.
	We have reminded public bodies (schools, prisons, hospitals, armed forces) that they are responsible for their own food contracts. We expect them to have rigorous procurement procedures in place with reputable suppliers. Public institutions are included in the UK-wide authenticity sampling programme being organised by the Food Standards Agency, and suppliers to public institutions are part of the FSA's extensive food industry testing regime.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the statement of 23 October 2012, Official Report, columns 835-6, on bovine tuberculosis and badger control, and the Statement of 27 February 2013, Official Report, column 28WS, on bovine tuberculosis, for what reasons the badger population estimates in the two pilot cull areas published on 23 October 2012 are higher than the estimates published on 27 February 2013.

David Heath: Both sets of estimates, each of which is expressed as a range, were calculated by estimating the number of active badger setts in the area and multiplying this by the estimated average number of badgers per active sett.
	For the purpose of the October 2012 badger population estimates, the average number of badgers per active sett was estimated from the results of two studies conducted over several years in the Gloucestershire area. This was the best information available at the time.
	The availability of new data has allowed new badger population estimates to be calculated. The new data included information on the estimated number of badgers per active sett collected in each of the pilot areas using DNA analysis.
	The February 2013 badger population estimates are the best information currently available on badger population size in the pilot areas and should be used in preference to the October 2012 estimates.

Dangerous Dogs

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 6 February 2013, Official Report, on tackling irresponsible dog ownership, if he will publish all the responses to his 2012 consultation on responsible dog ownership.

David Heath: As is normal procedure, the individual responses to the consultation are lodged with DEFRA's main library at the Information Resource Centre (IRC) at Ergon House, c/o 17 Smith Square, London SW1P 3JR (telephone 020 7238 6575), which will supply, on request, copies of responses to personal callers or telephone inquirers. A summary of responses to this consultation can currently be accessed via the following link:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/consult/files/dogs-summary-responses-130206.pdf

Horse Passports

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the efficacy of the UK horse passport regime and its contribution to preventing veterinary medicine entering the human food chain; and what plans he has for the future of the regime.

David Heath: Passports may be endorsed to exclude a horse from slaughter. This must be done by veterinary surgeons when certain veterinary medicines, including Phenylbutazone, are administered. The declaration is irreversible. The Chief Veterinary Officer and the Chief Executive of the Food Standards Agency wrote to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons on 4 February 2013 seeking their assistance in reminding vets of their legal obligations under the Horse Passports Regulations 2009.
	The Government remain committed to exploring ways to improve the horse passport system within the framework of European legislation. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and my noble Friend Lord de Mauley met representatives of various equine sectors on 21 February to discuss such issues.

Marine Conservation Zones

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects the designation of the 19 proposed marine conservation zones in the Irish Sea to be completed.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA is currently consulting on proposals for four sites in the Irish sea area to be designated in 2013. The remaining 11 sites will be considered for future designation.

Packaging: Recycling

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to review the statutory packaging recycling targets for 2013 to 2017.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA will monitor progress towards meeting the packaging recycling targets for 2013 to 2017 as established by the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) (Amendment) Regulations, and will take appropriate action if needed. I will seek an opportunity to update the House on progress in 2015.

Schmallenberg Virus

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Ogmore of 27 November 2012, Official Report, column 307W, on the Schmallenberg virus, for what reasons his Department has classified Schmallenberg virus as a low impact disease.

David Heath: Schmallenberg virus (SBV) is classified as low impact by the EU. This is as a result of reports produced by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) based on data collected from all affected member states (MSs). Their report of November 2012 stated that the maximum proportion of confirmed sheep herds per region in affected MSs is 6.6% and 4% for cattle herds. At the EFSA's most recent meeting in February 2013, impact assessments from other affected member states continue to conclude an overall low impact and the Commission stressed again that they consider SBV to be a low impact disease.
	This concurs with our own consideration of the impact of Schmallenberg in the UK. The online sheep survey on SBV run by the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) after lambing in 2012 has shown SBV did have an impact on the losses during the lambing season of 2011-12 on the participating farms, but not a large impact when compared to normal losses on the majority of infected farms. Losses during lambing happen on most farms whether or not SBV was present or suspected. A few SBV confirmed farms (3%) or farms with malformed lambs (12%) were badly affected with large losses of lambs and ewes. However, 3% of farms without any lamb malformations and 3% of SBV negative farms also reported high losses. Likewise both SBV confirmed farms and SBV negative farms had low losses. 494 farms took part in the study, of which 76 had had SBV confirmed by testing as the cause of malformed off spring and 140 suspected due to clinical signs, that they had had SBV infection. While some farms with certain specific management practices lambing early in the season have seen much greater impacts, this is linked to them having a large proportion of their flock all at the crucial susceptible stage of pregnancy at the same time when virus has arrived in their flock. A similar effect has been seen in the Netherlands and France, which have flocks synchronising their mating periods. The vast majority of our sheep flocks are not synchronised so there is no evidence to believe that they will see similar high impacts. This is anecdotally being borne out in recent reports from AHVLA vets in the field and the contact they have with veterinary practitioners.
	Cattle herds have a much more staggered mating period and calves are born all year round, thus reducing the number of cows at the critical stage of pregnancy at the same time and lessening the impact in the herd. Data from other affected member states support this.
	There have been anecdotal reports of more barren ewes and cows at scanning following the last breeding period. There are many reasons for animals not to hold at mating, including the poor weather resulting in poor nutrient content in fodder, and liver fluke, both of which have been issues late in 2012. Our scanning surveillance has not detected that SBV has been the cause of this.
	Following infection, animals develop immunity which is protective against further SBV infection in the subsequent year. Research into the level and duration of immunity is one of the areas of research DEFRA is funding.
	I recently met with cattle and sheep industry stakeholders to discuss the current SBV situation. They concurred with the description of the impact of SBV in the UK as described here. Subsequent to the meeting, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate has issued an update on the progress of a SBV vaccine submission for provisional marketing authorisation.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Constituencies

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 24 January 2013, Official  Report, column 439W on constituencies, when each previous boundary review in the last 30 years was.

Chloe Smith: The date of publication of the final report in the 3(rd), 4(th) and 5(th) Periodical Reviews of parliamentary constituencies conducted by each Boundary Commission is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Boundary Commission 3(rd) Periodical Review 4(th) Periodical Review 5(th) Periodical Review 
			 England 1 February 1983 6 June 1995 26 February 2007 
			 Wales 25 January 1983 15 February 1995 14 December 2005 
			 Scotland 18 February 1983 16 February 1995 14 December 2004 
			 Northern Ireland 27 October 1982 20 June 1995 31 March 2008

Electoral Register

Matthew Offord: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether homeowners have a right of appeal against a decision by a local authority not to include that person on the register of electors.

Chloe Smith: Yes, electors have a right of appeal against a decision to reject an application to register. Where an application for electoral registration is rejected summarily (i.e. without a hearing), the individual concerned has three working days from the date of the decision within which to require the electoral registration officer (ERO) to reconsider the decision at a hearing.
	If following the hearing, the ERO does not take a different view, the individual then has 14 calendar days to notify the ERO that he or she wishes to appeal the disputed decision, specifying the grounds for the appeal; the ERO must then forward the appeal to the county court, or to the sheriff in Scotland.
	If the relevant deadlines have elapsed, or if a person does not wish to make a formal appeal, there is of course nothing to prevent them from contacting their ERO to discuss their situation.

Electoral Register: Clwyd

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many electors were registered to vote in each ward of Vale of Clwyd constituency following the revision of the electoral register in 2011.

Chloe Smith: The number of parliamentary electors who were registered to vote in each ward of Vale of Clwyd constituency at 1 December 2011 is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Vale of Clwyd 
			 Name of ward Number of parliamentary electors registered to vote 
			 Bodelwyddan 1,603 
			 Denbigh Central 1,407 
			 Denbigh Lower 3,580 
			 Denbigh Upper/Henllan 2,484 
			 Dyserth 1,876 
			 Llandyrnog 1,706 
			 Prestatyn Central 2,803 
			 Prestatyn East 3,242 
			 Prestatyn Meliden 1,560 
			 Prestatyn North 4,679 
			 Prestatyn South West 2,847 
			 Rhuddlan 2,943 
			 Rhyl East 3,796 
			 Rhyl South 3,014 
			 Rhyl South East 6,022 
			 Rhyl South West 3,748 
			 Rhyl West 3,477 
			 St. Asaph East 1,396 
			 St. Asaph West 1,327 
			 Trefnant 1,582 
			 Tremeirchion 1,330 
			 Total 56,422

NORTHERN IRELAND

Job Creation

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills regarding the need to sustain and create new jobs in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: I have regularly discussed the need to create new private sector jobs and boost the Northern Ireland economy with a range of ministerial colleagues, including my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills. I will be having further discussions with them as part of the Government's work with the devolved Administration to rebalance the Northern Ireland economy.

Annual Leave

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many officials in (a) her Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies qualify for privilege days; and what the total cost to the public purse was of the number of privilege days utilised each year by such officials.

Michael Penning: All home civil servants working in my Department are contractually entitled to a day off for the Queen's birthday in June, and one privilege day at the time of the Christmas break. In addition, they are entitled to 1.5 privilege days leave per annum.
	Any staff on secondment to my Department from the Northern Ireland civil service (NICS) are entitled to privilege days in line with NICS terms and conditions. No cost analysis of privilege days has been undertaken.
	My Department has two non-departmental public bodies—the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland—and one advisory non-departmental public body—the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland. As such bodies are independent of Government, my hon. Friend may wish to write to the Commissions direct on these matters.
	
		
			 ALB Status Contact details 
			 Parades Commission for Northern Ireland Executive NDPB Info@paradescommission.org 
			 Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission Executive NDPB information@nihrc.org 
			 Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland Advisory NDPB bcni@belfast.org.uk

Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was paid to officials in (a) her Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies in bonuses and other payments in addition to salary in each of the last five years; how many officials received such payments; and what the monetary value was of the 20 largest payments made in each year.

Michael Penning: Comparable figures for my Department as it is now configured are not available following the completion of the devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010.
	During 2010-11, my Department paid a total of £35,830 to 47 officials; the value of the 20 largest were: £7,500 x 2, £1,200 x 6, £750 x 4 and £500 x 8;
	In 2011-12, my Department paid £33,175 to 75 officials: the value of the 20 largest were: £1,300 x 8, £1,200 x 5 and £500 x 7;
	In 2012-13 to date, £21,400 has been paid to 70 officials; the value of the 20 largest were £500 each.
	My Department has two non-departmental public bodies—the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland; and one advisory non-departmental public body—the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland. As such bodies are independent of Government, my hon. Friend may wish to write to the Commissions directly on these matters.
	
		
			 ALB Status Contact details 
			 Parades Commission for Northern Ireland Executive NDPB Info@paradescommission.org 
			 Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission Executive NDPB information@nihrc.org 
			 Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland Advisory NDPB bcni@belfast.org.uk

Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what allowances and subsidies in addition to salary were available to officials in (a) her Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies in each of the last five years; and what the monetary value was of such payments and allowances in each such year.

Michael Penning: Comparable figures for my Department as it is now configured are not available following the completion of the devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010.
	Until November 2012, staff on secondment to my Department from the Department of Justice (NI) were paid £287 per annum by way of a Revised Environmental Allowance (REA). Following a review by the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS), it was agreed that REA would be reduced from £287 per annum to £150 with effect from 1 November 2012 and then removed completely with effect from 1 August 2013. It is not possible within the PQ cost limits to provide the total amount of REA paid for the last three financial years following devolution.
	A small number of staff who are in posts which require them to undertake 'on-call' duties may make a claim for an 'on-call' allowance of £20 per weekday and £35 per weekend day.
	My Department has two non-departmental public bodies—the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland; and one advisory non-departmental public body—the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland. As such bodies are independent of Government, my hon. Friend may wish to write to the Commissions direct on these matters.
	
		
			 ALB Status Contact details 
			 Parades Commission for Northern Ireland Executive NDPB Info@paradescommission.org 
			 Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission Executive NDPB information@nihrc.org 
			 Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland Advisory NDPB bcni@belfast.org.uk

Recruitment

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many officials were recruited to (a) her Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies in each of the last five years.

Michael Penning: Comparable figures for my Department as it is now configured are not available following the completion of the devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010.
	My Department did not recruit any staff during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 financial years; during the 2012-13 financial year to date we have recruited eight members of staff.
	My Department has two non-departmental public bodies—the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland—and one advisory non-departmental public body—the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland. As such bodies are independent of Government, my hon. Friend may wish to write to the Commissions direct on these matters.
	
		
			 ALB Status Contact details 
			 Parades Commission for Northern Ireland Executive NDPB Info@paradescommission.org 
			 Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission Executive NDPB information@nihrc.org 
			 Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland Advisory NDPB bcni@belfast.org.uk

Sickness Absence

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many days (a) her Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies has lost to staff sickness in each of the last five years; and what estimate she has made of the cost of such absence in each year.

Michael Penning: Comparable figures for my Department as it is now configured are not available following the completion of devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010.
	The number of working days lost due to absence for the last two 12 month rolling periods are as follows:
	1 January 2011 to 31 December 2011: 437
	1 October 2011 to 30 September 2012: 647.
	No estimate of the cost of this absence has been made. Robust procedures are in place to manage absence, and in particular long-term absence, which has made up a significant proportion of the days lost.
	My Department has two non-departmental public bodies—the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland—and one advisory non-departmental public body—the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland. As such bodies are independent of Government, my hon. Friend may wish to write to the Commissions direct on these matters.
	
		
			 ALB Status Contact details 
			 Parades Commission for Northern Ireland Executive NDPB Info@paradescommission.org 
			 Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission Executive NDPB information@nihrc.org 
			 Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland Advisory NDPB bcni@belfast.org.uk

Sickness Absence

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many officials in (a) her Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies have had (i) fewer than five days, (ii) five to 10 days, (iii) 10 to 15 days, (iv) 15 to 20 days, (v) 20 to 25 days, (vi) 25 to 50 days, (vii) 50 to 75 days, (viii) 75 to 100 days, (ix) 100 to 150 days, (x) 150 to 200 days, (xi) more than 200 days, (xii) more than three months, (xiii) more than six months and (xiv) more than one year on paid sick leave (A) consecutively and (B) in total in each of the last five years.

Michael Penning: Comparable figures for my Department as it is now configured are not available following the completion of the devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010.
	While my Department does not hold figures in the form requested, information is held in relation to long and short term sick leave, where long term absence is classed as an absence of over 20 working days. The figures for the previous two 12 month rolling periods are as follows:
	1 January 2011 to 31 December 2011—330 days long term, 107 short term
	1 October 2011 to 30 September 2012—386 days long term, 261 short term
	My Department has two non-departmental public bodies—the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland; and one advisory non-departmental public body—the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland. As such bodies are independent of Government, my hon. Friend may wish to write to the Commissions direct on these matters.
	
		
			 ALB Status Contact details 
			 Parades Commission for Northern Ireland Executive NDPB Info@paradescommission.org 
			 Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission Executive NDPB information@nihrc.org 
			 Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland Advisory NDPB bcni@belfast.org.uk

Telephone Services

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) 0800, (b) 0808, (c) 0844, (d) 0845 and (e) 0870 telephone numbers for the public are in use by her Department.

Michael Penning: My Department does not have any 0800, 0808, 0844, 0845 or 0870 telephone numbers for public use.

Termination of Employment

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many officials in (a) her Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies have left that body due to (i) resignation, (ii) retirement, (iii) redundancy, (iv) transferral to another public sector post and (v) another reason in each of the last five years.

Michael Penning: Comparable figures for my Department as it is now configured are not available following the completion of the devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010.
	In relation to my Department, the information requested is as follows:
	Financial year April 2010 to March 2011:
	(i) Resignation—0
	(ii) Retirement—2
	(iii) Redundancy— 0
	(iv) Transferral to another public sector post—0
	(v) Another reason—2.
	Financial year April 2011 to March 2012:
	(i) Resignation—4
	(ii) Retirement—2
	(iii) Redundancy—0
	(iv) Transferral to another public sector post—4
	(v) Another reason—0.
	Financial year April 2012 to date:
	(i) Resignation—5
	(ii) Retirement—3
	(iii) Redundancy—0
	(vi) Transferral to another public sector post—2
	(vii) Another reason—0.
	My Department has two non-departmental public bodies—the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland—and one advisory non-departmental public body—the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland. As such bodies are independent of Government, my hon. Friend may wish to write to the Commissions direct on these matters.
	
		
			 ALB Status Contact details 
			 Parades Commission for Northern Ireland Executive NDPB Info@paradescommission.org 
			 Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission Executive NDPB information@nihrc.org 
			 Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland Advisory NDPB bcni@belfast.org.uk

Terrorism

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment she has made of activities of (a) loyalist and (b) republican paramilitary groups.

Michael Penning: I would refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, made on 28 February 2013, Official Report, column 35WS.

SCOTLAND

Annual Leave

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many officials in his Department qualify for privilege days; and what the total cost to the public purse was of the number of privilege days utilised each year by such officials.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly and has no direct costs in respect of privilege days. All staff that join the Office do so on an assignment, secondment or loan agreement from other Government bodies but principally from the Scottish Government or the Ministry of Justice. Public and privilege holidays are a matter for the parent bodies.

Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much was paid to officials in his Department in bonuses and other payments in addition to salary in each of the last five years; how many officials received such payments; and what the monetary value was of the 20 largest payments made in each year.

David Mundell: All staff in the Scotland Office are on assignment, loan or secondment from other Government bodies, mainly the Scottish Government and the Ministry of Justice and therefore may be eligible for bonuses, allowances and other payments additional to basic salary in different ways through their parent bodies' pay arrangements.
	The Scotland Office is not responsible for payments made through end of year performance payments or allowances under staffs' parent bodies' pay arrangements and does not hold information centrally on these matters.
	The Office is however able to directly authorise non-consolidated and non-pensionable bonus payments (including small and instantaneous awards, eg vouchers) in recognition of special effort, achievement and commitment. The following table shows the cost of such payments in each of the last five years and the monetary value of the 20 largest payments made in each year:
	
		
			 Financial year Total cost (£) Number of officials receiving payments 
			 2011-12 2,265 11 
			 2010-11 3,670 ((1)3,400) 26 
			 2009-10 2,925 17 
			 2008-09 2,900 8 
			 2007-08 2,150 6 
			 (1) Figure relates to the monetary value of the 20 largest bonus payments. 
		
	
	The only other category of payment made to officials in addition to basic salary was overtime/travel time payments totalling: £48,946.82 in 2011-12, £46,228.63 in 2010-11, £73.649.76 in 2009-10, £86,513.97 in 2008-09, and £39,778.09 in 2007-08. The monetary value of the 20 largest overtime/travel time payments made was £24,211.63 in 2011-12, £27,207.77 in 2010-11, £29,093.90 in 2009-10. For the years 2008-09 and 2007-08, this information was not retained.

Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what allowances and subsidies in addition to salary were available to officials in his Department in each of the last five years; and what the monetary value was of such payments and allowances in each such year.

David Mundell: All staff in the Scotland Office are on an assignment, secondment or loan from other Government bodies; in the majority of cases, the Scottish Government or the Ministry of Justice. The Office is not responsible for the setting or payment of allowances and subsidies set through the parent bodies' pay arrangements.

Plants

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on indoor and outdoor plants and trees in each year between 2005 and 2010.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not set aside a specific budget for indoor and outdoor plants and trees, and the costs are not separately identifiable between 2005 and 2010. All expenditure incurred is in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money.

Recruitment

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many officials were recruited to his Department in each of the last five years.

David Mundell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 13 February 2013, Official Report, column 744W.

Sickness Absence

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many days his Department has lost to staff sickness in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the cost of such absence in each year.

David Mundell: All Scotland Office staff are on secondment from other Government bodies, principally the Scottish Government or the Ministry of Justice, which have their own absence management policies and recording procedures that apply to those of their staff working in this Office. Since 2010, the Scotland Office has local records that confirm staff incurred 142.5 days absence in 2010, 112.5 days in 2011 and 85.5 days in 2012. The Office's senior management keeps sick absence under review and has noted that the rate of absence is low compared to other bodies and that it has declined since 2010.

Sickness Absence

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many officials in his Department have had (a) fewer than five days, (b) five to 10 days, (c) 10 to 15 days, (d) 15 to 20 days, (e) 20 to 25 days, (f) 25 to 50 days, (g) 50 to 75 days, (h) 75 to 100 days, (i) 100 to 150 days, (j) 150 to 200 days, (k) more than 200 days, (l) more than three months, (m) more than six months and (n) more than one year on paid sick leave (i) consecutively and (ii) in total in each of the last five years.

David Mundell: All Scotland Office staff are on assignment, loan or secondment from other Government bodies, principally the Scottish Government and the Ministry of Justice, which have their own absence management policies and recording processes, that apply to those of their staff working in this Office. Since 2010, the Scotland Office has kept local records of sick absences.
	The information requested is supplied in the following table for the years 2010 to 2012, and shows the number of occurrences of sick leave rather the number of officials.
	
		
			  Number of occurrences where officials have had consecutive days sick leave in 2010 Number of occurrences where officials have had consecutive days sick leave in 2011 Number of occurrences where officials have had consecutive days sick leave in 2012 
			 (a) fewer than five days 60 49 35 
			 (b) five to 10 days 4 2 0 
			 (c) 10 to 15 days 0 1 1 
			 (d) 15 to 20 days 0 0 0 
			 (e) 20 to 25 days 0 0 0 
			 (f) 25 to 50 days 0 0 0 
			 (g) 50 to 75 days 0 0 0 
			 (h)75 to 100 days 0 0 0 
			 (i) 100 to 150 days 0 0 0 
			 (j) 150 to 200 days 0 0 0 
			 (k) more than 200 days 0 0 0 
			 (1) more than three months 0 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			 (m) more than six months 0 0 0 
			 (n) more than one year on paid sick leave 0 0 0

Sovereignty

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from the Scottish Government regarding (a) passports and (b) dual citizenship with the UK in the event of an independent Scotland.

David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland has received no representations from the Scottish Government regarding passports or dual citizenship with the UK in the event of an independent Scotland.

Telephone Services

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) 0800, (b) 0808, (c) 0844, (d) 0845 and (e) 0870 telephone numbers for the public are in use by his Department.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not use any (a) 0800, (b) 0808, (c) 0845 or (d) 0870 telephone numbers for the public.

Termination of Employment

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many officials in his Department have left that body due to (i) resignation, (ii) retirement, (iii) redundancy, (iv) transferral to another public sector post and (v) another reason in each of the last five years.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly. All staff that join the Office do so on an assignment, secondment or loan agreement from other Government bodies but principally from the Scottish Government or the Ministry of Justice. Employment matters specific to (i) resignation, (ii) retirement, (iii) redundancy, (iv) transferral to another public sector post or (v) for other reasons, are for these parent bodies.

WALES

Budget March 2013

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the likely effect on Wales of measures planned to be announced in Budget 2013.

Stephen Crabb: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales has written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer outlining Welsh priorities for Budget 2013 including proposals from the Wales Office Business Advisory Group.

Commission on Devolution in Wales

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when the Government plans to respond to the recommendations of the first report of the Commission on Devolution in Wales.

Stephen Crabb: As the Government announced in the autumn statement, we will respond formally to the first report of the Commission on Devolution in Wales in the spring.

Domestic Visits

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many official engagements have been undertaken in Wales by each of the Under-Secretaries of State for Wales since taking up their posts.

Stephen Crabb: Since our appointments, my noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Wales, Baroness Randerson, has undertaken 43 official engagements in Wales, and I have undertaken 24. We both of course also undertake numerous engagements in London to press the interests of Wales.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent meetings he has had with bodies representing housing associations and tenants in Wales to discuss the effect of the under-occupation penalty.

Stephen Crabb: Details of ministerial meetings with all external organisations are published as part of the Wales Office quarterly transparency returns.

Annual Leave

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many officials in his Department qualify for privilege days; and what the total cost to the public purse was of the number of privilege days utilised each year by such officials.

Stephen Crabb: All civil servants (both permanent and temporary) in the Wales Office qualify for privilege days in addition to their holiday entitlements. Ministry of Justice officials receive 2.5 privilege days per annum, and Welsh Government officials receive two privilege days per annum, as part of their terms and conditions of service. This includes a privilege day relating to the Queen's birthday. The total cost could be estimated only at disproportionate cost.

National Assembly for Wales

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals relating to the proposals included in the Green Paper on future electoral arrangements of the National Assembly for Wales.

Stephen Crabb: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales announced on 12 March 2013, Official Report, columns 8-9WS, that the Government will take forward three proposals included in the Green Paper on future electoral arrangements tor the National Assembly for Wales. The Government will bring forward legislation to effect these changes at the earliest opportunity.

Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was paid to officials in his Department in bonuses and other payments in addition to salary in each of the last five years; how many officials received such payments; and what the monetary value was of the 20 largest payments made in each year.

Stephen Crabb: The following table details the bonuses paid to Wales Office staff in each if the last five financial years:
	
		
			 Financial year Number of officials paid bonuses Monetary value of each bonus (£) 
			 2007-08 5 400 
			 2008-09 1 1,200 
			 2009-10 1 8,000 
			  6 1,200 
			 2010-11 1 7,500 
			  5 1,200 
			 2011-12 1 7,500 
			  7 1,200

Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what allowances and subsidies in addition to salary were available to officials in his Department in each of the last five years; and what the monetary value was of such payments and allowances in each such year.

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office is not an employer in its own right. Our permanent staff are employees of the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), with others on loan from other Government Departments and the Welsh Government. Allowances and subsidies for MOJ staff working in the Wales Office, and those on loan to the Wales Office who are paid via the MOJ payroll, will be included in the answer to this question given by the Ministry of Justice.

Recruitment

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many officials were recruited to his Department in each of the last five years.

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office is not an employer in its own right and therefore has had no locus to recruit externally in the last five years.

Severn River Crossing

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the operation of the Severn bridges when the concession ends; and what level of tolling is appropriate at that stage.

Stephen Crabb: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales has regular discussions with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport on transport matters which affect Wales. No decisions have yet been made on the future of the two crossings after the forecast end of the current concession with Severn River Crossings plc in 2018. However, the Government have been clear that it will need to continue to toll after the current concession ends in order to recover costs incurred by UK taxpayers in relation to the crossings.

Sickness Absence

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many days his Department has lost to staff sickness in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the cost of such absence in each year.

Stephen Crabb: Prior to 1 April 2011, the Wales Office was part of the Ministry of Justice. Therefore, our figures for the periods prior to 1 October 2010 will form part of the Ministry of Justice figures.
	The figures for the period from 1 October 2010 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Reporting period Number of working days lost due to sickness 
			 1 October 2010 to 30 September 2011 331 
			 1 October 2011 to 30 September 2012 263 
		
	
	No estimate of the cost of this absence has been made. Robust procedures are in place to manage absence, and in particular long term absence, which has made up a significant proportion of the days lost.

Sickness Absence

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many officials in his Department have had (a) fewer than five days, (b) five to 10 days, (c) 10 to 15 days, (d) 15 to 20 days, (e) 20 to 25 days, (f) 25 to 50 days, (g) 50 to 75 days, (h) 75 to 100 days, (i) 100 to 150 days, (j) 150 to 200 days, (k) more than 200 days, (l) more than three months, (m) more than six months and (n) more than one year on paid sick leave (i) consecutively and (ii) in total in each of the last five years.

Stephen Crabb: It would not be possible to provide the data requested without incurring a disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment his Department has undertaken of the effect of welfare changes on disabled people in Wales.

Stephen Crabb: The effect of welfare changes on disabled people has been assessed by the Department for Work and Pensions in their equality impact assessments. The Welfare Reform Act 2012 impact assessments and equality impact assessments are available on their website.

Telephone Services

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many (a) 0800, (b) 0808, (c) 0844, (d) 0845 and (e) 0870 telephone numbers for the public are in use by his Department.

Stephen Crabb: None.

Termination of Employment

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many officials in his Department have left that body due to (i) resignation, (ii) retirement, (iii) redundancy, (iv) transferral to another public sector post and (v) another reason in each of the last five years.

Stephen Crabb: The numbers of officials who have left the Wales Office by the reasons requested are in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year 
			 Reasons for leaving 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 (to date) 
			 (i) resignation 0 0 1 0 0 
			 (ii) retirement 0 2 1 3 1 
			 (iii) redundancy 0 1 0 3 1 
			 (iv) transferral to another public sector post 3 6 8 12 18 
			 (v) another reason 1 1 1 0 1 
			 Not known 6 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	The Wales Office is not an employer in its own right, and many Wales Office staff are on time-limited loan from other Government Departments and the Welsh Government. Staff returning to their home Departments at the end of their loan periods are counted as transfers to other public sector posts. Staff who left on redundancy all took voluntary exits.

Trade Unions

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent meetings he has had with trades unions in Wales.

Stephen Crabb: Details of ministerial meetings with all external organisations are published as part of the Wales Office quarterly transparency returns.

Universal Credit

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the outcome of the demonstration project for universal credit carried out in Torfaen.

Stephen Crabb: The direct payment demonstration projects are providing the Government with information about how to design the direct payment aspect of universal credit so that it has the least impact on both tenants and landlords. The Government is testing a variety of approaches with a mix of tenants during the projects to understand what interventions best help tenants who fall into arrears. With this information, the Department for Work and Pensions is aware of the issues and how best to tackle them.

PRIME MINISTER

Climate Change

Ben Wallace: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make climate change one of the main priorities of the upcoming G8 summit in Northern Ireland.

David Cameron: The UK's presidency of the G8 this year is an opportunity to make progress on delivering practical action on the vital global issues of trade, tax and transparency. The G8 will also be an opportunity to make progress on other global issues, including climate change which will be part of the discussions at the first formal G8 Foreign Ministers' meeting on 10 and 11 April 2013.

Food Banks

Dave Watts: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 6 March 2013, Official Report, column 953, how many people were using food banks in (a) 2000, (b) 2005, (c) 2010 and (d) the last period for which figures are available.

David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the Trussell Trust website where the figures on food banks have been published. I have placed a copy of the document in both Libraries of the House.

India

Keith Vaz: To ask the Prime Minister how many times he has visited India in an official capacity since 2010.

David Cameron: Details of ministerial overseas travel are published quarterly on the Cabinet Office website. I have placed copies of my published overseas visits since 2010 in both Libraries of the House.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

David Amess: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with the (a) chairman and (b) secretary of the Chilcot Inquiry on the publication of its report; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether he plans to publish the report of the Iraq Inquiry in full; and if he will make a statement.

Guto Bebb: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 6 March 2013, Official Report, column 408W, on Iraq: Chilcot Inquiry, how long he expects the Maxwellisation process to take before the publication of the final report.

David Cameron: Sir John Chilcot wrote to me on 13 July 2012, updating me on the inquiry's progress. I replied to Sir John on 17 July. Both letters have been published on the inquiry's website and I have placed copies in the Libraries of both Houses.
	The inquiry's report will be published in Parliament, subject to any redactions agreed under the protocol. The Maxwellisation process is a matter for the inquiry, which is independent of Government.

Office of the Quartet Representative

David Amess: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with Tony Blair in his role as the Quartet Special Representative in the last 12 months; what was discussed at each such meeting; on what date each meeting took place; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the progress made by Tony Blair in his role as the Quartet Special Representative; what recent discussions he has had with Tony Blair on this issue; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what recent reports he has received on the work of Mr Tony Blair in his role as Middle East Peace Envoy; what recent discussions (a) he and (b) Ministers in the Government have had with Mr Blair on this issue; and if he will make a statement.

David Cameron: The Quartet has an important role to play in bringing Israelis and Palestinians together as we urgently seek to move the peace process forward. I have met Tony Blair in his role as the Quartet's Special Representative on a number of occasions, most recently on 6 February 2013 and 13 September 2012. During these meetings we have discussed the prospects for the Middle East Peace Process and the vital role the US has in leading an effort to revive this, supported by European, Arab and other nations. We have also discussed how to support US efforts in this regard.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcoholic Drinks: Prices

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has sought legal advice on the legality of the UK adopting a minimum unit price for alcohol. [R]

Jeremy Browne: The advice which the Government has received on this issue is subject to legal privilege. We do not, therefore, believe it appropriate to disclose this advice (or any summary of it).

Communications Data Bill (Draft)

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she has taken to consult (a) the Scottish Government, (b) Scottish local authorities, (c) the Police Service of Scotland and (d) the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency on the revised draft Communications Data Bill.

James Brokenshire: Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a variety of organisations and individuals, as part of the process of developing the revised Communications Data Bill. Although communications data is a reserved matter, this has included meetings with key groups in Scotland that will be affected by the Bill. Details of ministerial consultation are published on the Cabinet Office website on a quarterly basis.

Crime Prevention: Wales

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  which organisations in the South Wales police area received funds from the Drug Intervention Programme Main Grant in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2011-12; and how much each such organisation received in each such year;
	(2)  which organisations in the South Wales police force area received funds from the Drug Testing Grant in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2011-12; and how much each such organisation received in each such year;
	(3)  which organisations in the South Wales police force area received funds from the Community Safety Partnership funding programme in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2011-12; and how much each such organisation received in each such year;
	(4)  which organisations in the South Wales police force area received funds from the Youth Crime and Substance Misuse Prevention Activities funding in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2011-12; and how much each such organisation received in each such year;
	(5)  which organisations in the South Wales police force area received funds from the Positive Futures programme in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2011-12; and how much each such organisation received in each such year;
	(6)  which organisations in the South Wales police force area received funds from the Communities against guns, gangs and knives programme in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2011-12; and how much each such organisation received in each such year;
	(7)  which organisations in the South Wales police force area received funds from the Ending Gang and Youth Violence programme in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2011-12; and how much each such organisation received in each such year;
	(8)  which organisations in the South Wales police force area received funds from the Communities Against Crime Innovation fund in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2011-12; and how much each such organisation received in each such year;
	(9)  which organisations in the South Wales police force area received funds from the Safer Future Communities programme in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2011-12; and how much each such organisation received in each such year;
	(10)  which organisations in the South Wales police force area received funds from any funding stream from her Department, relating to drugs, crime or community safety which are ending in March 2013 but which were not specifically listed on her Department's website as ending to make way for the introduction of the new Community Safety Fund in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2011-12.

Damian Green: The following table provides figures for funding provided by the Home Office to organisations and agencies within the South Wales police force area in 2011-12 and 2012-13. Detailed breakdowns are provided where funding was allocated directly by the Department to organisations in the area.
	Other than the funding streams listed on the Home Office website, there were no other relevant funds awarded in the South Wales area from drugs, crime and community safety funding streams that are ending in March 2013.
	
		
			 Allocation of Home Office funding to organisations within the South Wales police area 
			 £ 
			 Funding stream Recipient 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Communities Against Crime Innovation Fund Atal Y Fro 41,246 42,483 
			  Black Voluntary Sector Network Wales 22,574 48,975 
			  Cardiff Women’s Aid 4,517 8,145 
			  Christian Youth Outreach 2,155 45,409 
			  Cwmafan Residents Action Committee 21,560 8,314 
			  Disability Wales 0 49,472 
			  Media Academy Cardiff 30,936 43,582 
			  New Pathways 20,374 40,496 
			  New Sandfields Aberavon 4,168 45,832 
			  Safer Merthyr Tydfil 15,925 42,493 
			     
			 Community Safety Fund(1) Bridgend Council 110,929 56,119 
			  Cardiff Council 294,493 148,985 
			  Merthyr Tydfil Council 81,375 41,168 
			  Neath Port Talbot Council 118,009 59,701 
			  Rhondda Cynon Taff Council 162,776 82,349 
			  Swansea Council' 238,101 120,456 
			  Vale of Glamorgan Council 111,614 56,466 
			     
			 Drug Interventions Programme(2) Wales Government (5,509,457) (5,068,700) 
			     
			 Drug Testing Grant South Wales Police 372,306 353,691 
			     
			 Ending Gang and Youth Violence No funding 0 0 
			     
			 Guns, Gangs and Knives Breakout 9,990 9,960 
			  Ethnic Youth Support Team 10,000 10,000 
			  Llamau Ltd 10,000 10,000 
			  Media Academy 10,000 10,000 
			  Vibe Experience Ltd 10,000 10,000 
			     
			 Positive Futures Bridgend Council 35,000 35,000 
			     
			 Safer Future Communities Council for Wales of Voluntary Youth Services 22,500 30,000 
			  Wales Council for Voluntary Action 55,800 60,000 
			     
			 Youth Crime and Substance Misuse(3) Bridgend Council 34,829 39,347 
		
	
	
		
			  Cardiff Council 34,880 97,739 
			  Merthyr Tydfil Council 48,500 43,284 
			  Neath Port Talbot Council 53,629 44,307 
			  Rhondda Cynon Taff Council 82,377 79,959 
			  Swansea Council 66,501 78,176 
			  Vale of Glamorgan Council 29,942 29,122 
			 (1) This is a different ‘Community Safety Fund' from that allocated to PCCs. (2) This grant is one amount given for all of Wales. It is allocated by the Wales Government. (3) The amounts for 2012-13 are the combined totals of direct grant to South Wales police authority and contributions to the Youth Justice Grant (managed by the Youth Justice Board), which went directly to Youth Offending Teams. Note: Amounts given are to the nearest £.

Customs

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to reduce the entry by sea into the UK of banned substances.

Mark Harper: Border Force is committed to preventing banned substances from crossing the Border into the UK. Border Force Maritime and Aviation Operations is the single provider of maritime enforcement, surveillance and interception capability for Border Force. Its fleet of five offshore patrol vessels, known as cutters, operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, detecting prohibited and restricted goods and preventing tax fraud by searching all types of vessels.
	The fleet provide an essential surveillance and enforcement capability in UK waters. Cutters regularly work closely and train with other Government Departments such as the police and military to disrupt and deter any sea-borne criminal threat. Through co-ordinated intelligence and marine assets, this specialised law enforcement capability allows the agency to make an important contribution in protecting the border.
	Their role in preventing banned substances from crossing the border varies between strategic patrols, tactical response work or intelligence-led interceptions to control general maritime traffic in UK waters and around the more remote areas, visited less often by land-based teams.
	Moreover Border Force use targeting techniques in order to combat potential threats from canalised maritime traffic. Targeting is a means of selecting a person or a consignment for examination at the border, based on trade and carrier data received pre-arrival or pre-departure. Targeting is used to inform deployment in order to maximise the effectiveness of limited resources by deploying to the highest risk. Targeting relies on intelligence and profiles that are up-to-date being laid over the data received from the trade in order to identify those movements worthy of further attention.

Customs: Drugs

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much illegal medicine has been confiscated at UK borders in each of the last five years.

Mark Harper: Border Force does not specifically record seizures of illegal medication. These will be included within other class A/B/C seizures as published within the Home Office Statistical Bulletin “Seizures of Drugs in England and Wales” and the Border Force publication for drugs seizures within the UK. The Home Office bulletin is a yearly publication which covers the last 10 years and the Border Force figures, which are published on a quarterly basis, cover 2011-12 onwards.
	Border Force figures
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/aboutus/drug-seizures/
	Home Office statistics
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/police-research/hosb1212/hosb1212?view=Binary

European Convention On Human Rights

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether work is being undertaken and resources devoted by her Department to plans for the UK to withdraw from the European convention on human rights; and whether an impact assessment has been made in respect of the consequences of such a withdrawal.

James Brokenshire: The Department keeps the implications of the European convention on human rights for Home Office business under review.

Human Trafficking

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government is taking to ensure that frontline public services staff are fully trained to recognise the signs of human trafficking.

Mark Harper: Mandatory training on human trafficking is already provided for frontline staff in the police, the UK Border Agency and the Border Force.
	Working with partners, the Home Office has funded training and awareness-raising activities for front-line staff within the health care, social work and criminal justice sectors.
	The Department of Health will be launching a human trafficking toolkit for health care professionals in April 2013.

Immigration Controls

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations she has received from hon. Members on the raising of restrictions on Romanian and Bulgarian migrants in 2014.

Mark Harper: holding answer 4 March 2013
	Since 1 January 2013, the Home Office has received 10 parliamentary questions from hon. Members on the lifting of transitional controls on Romanian and Bulgarian migrants.
	Since the same date, the Home Office has received 91 pieces of correspondence from MPs on the exercise of free movement rights. We do not hold more specific information on correspondence received regarding the lifting of transitional controls on Romanian and Bulgarian migrants.

Organised Crime: Females

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what steps she is taking to protect girls under the age of 16 from becoming involved in gang-related crime;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the relationship between gang-related crime and violent assaults on girls below the age of 16.

Damian Green: The Government report, “Ending Gang and Youth Violence” (November 2011) recognised the importance of tackling gang-related violence on girls, and refers to research by Race on the Agenda (2010:11) which exposed the significant harm that girls associated with gangs can experience. Further research has been undertaken by the Office of the Children's Commissioner (2012) and Bedfordshire University (2012).
	Steps taken to protect girls from becoming involved in gang-related crime are set out in the “Ending Gang and Youth Violence Report: One Year On” document (November 2012). This includes dedicated funding of £1.2 million over three years (April 2012 to March 2015) to improve services for girls under 18 at risk of, or victims of, sexual violence and exploitation by gangs.
	The reports are available on the Home Office website.

Racially Aggravated Offences

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with the Association of Chief Police Officers on issuing guidance to chief constables in respect of dealing with racist incidents.

Jeremy Browne: The Government are committed to tackling all forms of hate crime and work closely with the Association of Chief Police Officers and other partners. The Association of Chief Police Officers issued guidance for dealing with hate crimes to police forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2005. The guidance is currently being updated and new guidance will be sent out to all police forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland shortly.

Staff

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of staffing levels at the (a) UK Border Agency, (b) UK Border Force and (c) Identity and Passport Service in (i) 2013, (ii) 2014 and (iii) 2015.

Mark Harper: holding answer 11 March 2013
	The latest Home Office business plan, published in May 2012 and updated annually, contains planned numbers of paid full-time equivalent staff in its business areas for the end of March 2013. It is available on the Home Office website.
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/about-us/corporate-publications/business-plan/business-plan-2012-15/business-plan-doc
	The Home Office keeps its workforce plans under regular review.

Sussex Police

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what level of complaints against Sussex Police have been received in each of the last five years; and what comparative assessment she has made between other constabularies.

Damian Green: This information is not collected by the Home Office. It is collated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission and is available on their website at:
	www.ipcc.gov.uk

Sussex Police

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with Sussex police on improving crime detection rates.

Jeremy Browne: This Government have scrapped all national policing targets in order that police forces can focus on cutting crime and achieving the best outcomes for victims and the wider community. For this reason, the Secretary of State for the Home Department has had no recent discussions with Sussex police on the issue of improving the crime detection rates.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to answer named-day written parliamentary questions 146432 and 146422 for answer on 5 March 2013; and for what reasons both questions were not answered on the day named.

James Brokenshire: I answered parliamentary question 146422 on 13 March 2013, Official Report, column 232W, and 146432 on 14 March 2013, Official Report, columns 304-05W. I am very sorry for not answering these questions on the day named.

INDEPENDENT PARLIAMENTARY STANDARDS AUTHORITY COMMITTEE

Staff

Helen Jones: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, how many (a) permanent and (b) temporary staff are employed by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority; and how many such staff were employed in May (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012.

Charles Walker: holding answer 12 March 2013
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	Letter from Andrew McDonald, dated 15 March 2013
	As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for staffing figures.
	Figures for staffing for May in each of the years requested are not readily available and cannot be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost. For the first year of IPSA's operation, staffing figures are available as at July 2010. For subsequent years, staffing figures have been reported at the end of each financial year as in IPSA's ‘Annual Report and Accounts’.
	These are as follows:
	
		
			  July 2010 March 2011 March 2012 
			 Permanent staff 27 39 55 
			 Temporary staff (including secondees) 54 44 7 
			 Total 81 83 62 
		
	
	Staffing figures as at 12 March 2013 are as follows:
	
		
			  March 2013 
			 Permanent staff 40 
			 Temporary staff (including secondees) 14 
			 Total 54

TREASURY

Air Passenger Duty: Caribbean

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the effect of UK air passenger duty on the number of arrivals from the UK to destinations in the Caribbean.

Sajid Javid: Air passenger duty rates are based on distance by band, not by distance to specific regions or countries. Therefore, HM Revenue and Customs collects information on the amount of air passenger duty revenues declared by rate and destination band. It does not collect information on the contribution to air passenger duty revenues made from flights to or from specific airports or countries.

Banks: Loans

Khalid Mahmood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many small and medium-sized businesses will fail as a result of the mis-selling of complex structured loans by banks and the time taken for redress by those banks and regulators.

Greg Clark: On 31 January 2013, the Financial Services Authority published the findings of the pilot review into interest rate swap mis-selling. The full review of 40,000 cases is now under way, and the FSA says it should be completed within six months.
	The banks have agreed to prioritise the cases of those businesses facing financial difficulty and to stop the payments on these products for such businesses.
	The chief executive officer of each of the banks participating in the review have personally committed that, except in exceptional circumstances such as, for example, where this is necessary to preserve value in the customer's business, they will not foreclose on or adversely vary existing lending facilities, without obtaining the customer's prior consent.

Banks: Loans

Pamela Nash: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many smaller lenders based in Scotland (a) have applied and (b) were approved to take part in the Funding for Lending Scheme since its creation.

Greg Clark: The list of banks and building societies that are currently participating in the Funding for Lending Scheme is available on the Bank of England website:
	http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/markets/Pages/FLS/data.aspx

Banks: Loans

Pamela Nash: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many applications to the Funding for Lending Scheme were (a) made and (b) approved for businesses based in (i) Scotland, (ii) England, (iii) Wales and (iv) Northern Ireland since its creation.

Greg Clark: The Funding for Lending Scheme is designed to incentivise banks and building societies to boost their lending to UK households and non-financial companies. The Scheme offers funding to banks and building societies for an extended period and encourages them to supply more credit by making more and cheaper funding available if they lend more. There is no mechanical link between FLS funds and particular loans made by a participant; hence it is not possible to identify specific loans as funded by the FLS.

Child Benefit Office

Richard Burden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will establish for the Child Benefit Office a contact telephone number that is a UK landline number beginning 01, 02 or 03.

David Gauke: On 28 January 2013, HMRC advised Public Accounts Committee that it plans to start moving its remaining 0845 numbers to 03 prefix numbers. This work will start in April 2013, with its child benefit helpline.

Child Trust Fund

John Woodcock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what discussions he has had on measures to permit holders of child trust funds who are still under the age of 18 to transfer the monetary value of their fund to a junior ISA;
	(2)  what information his Department holds on the number of investment companies which have introduced or increased annual fees for small investments since May 2010; and if he will assess the likely effect of such charges on holders of child trust funds.

Sajid Javid: The Treasury regularly meets a range of stakeholders to discuss tax-advantaged children's savings.
	The Government do not hold information on the number of investment companies which have introduced or increased annual fees for small investments since May 2010. Since the Child Trust Fund started, it has been possible for account providers to make charges for the management of accounts, providing the details are made clear in account terms and conditions. Around three quarters of all Child Trust Funds are stakeholder accounts, and charges on these accounts must not exceed 1.5% of the fund value.

Economic and Monetary Union

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of instability in the eurozone on the UK economy.

Greg Clark: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing independent economic and fiscal forecasts that would include their assessment of the effect of instability in the eurozone. They will publish their next forecast on 20 March 2013. In their October 2012 forecast evaluation report, the OBR argued that net trade accounted for roughly a third of the unexpected weakness in UK growth compared to their forecast at June 2010. UK export growth to European Union countries has been markedly weaker than that to other countries, reflecting effects of instability in the eurozone.

Foreign Companies

David Blunkett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information his Department holds on the number of overseas-based companies who have received more than £200 million in central Government contracts in the last two years; and how much corporation tax those corporations have paid to the UK Exchequer.

David Gauke: HM Treasury does not hold a central record of the contracts that have been let by central Government Departments. Information about the amount of corporation tax paid by individual companies is held by HM Revenue and Customs, and is not disclosed due to taxpayer confidentiality.

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many PAYE schemes were participating in the real time information pilot on (a) 1 November 2012, (b) 1 December 2012 and (c) 1 January 2013; and what are his projections for the numbers on (i) 1 February 2013, (ii) 1 March 2013, (iii) 1 April 2013 and (iv) 21 May 2013.

David Gauke: holding answer 17 January 2013
	HMRC's strategy for the latter months of the RTI pilot has been to focus on bringing on the largest PAYE schemes (by number of employments). They have also encouraged new PAYE schemes to start operating RTI as soon as they start paying employees.
	HMRC do not hold data for the specific dates requested. The following table shows the number of PAYE schemes participating in the pilot at the end of tax months.
	
		
			 Month Schemes participating in RTI pilot 
			 5 November 2012 1,824 
			 5 December 2012 26,351 
			 5 January 2013 35,648 
			 5 February 2013 38,262 
			 5 March 2013 41,684 
		
	
	HMRC now project that, by the end of March 2013, the RTI pilot will cover around 6 million individual employments. Most employers and pension providers, who have not participated in the pilot, are expected to start submitting RTI from their first payday after 6 April 2013. This means that employers or pension providers who pay quarterly or annually, or only employ staff on a seasonal basis, may not join RTI until later in 2013-14.

Sickness Absence

Priti Patel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many days (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies has lost to staff sickness in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the cost of such absence in each year;
	(2)  how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies have had (i) fewer than five days, (ii) five to 10 days, (iii) 10 to 15 days, (iv) 15 to 20 days, (v) 20 to 25 days, (vi) 25 to 50 days, (vii) 50 to 75 days, (viii) 75 to 100 days, (ix) 100 to 150 days, (x) 150 to 200 days, (xi) more than 200 days, (xii) more than three months, (xiii) more than six months and (xiv) more than one year on paid sick leave (A) consecutively and (B) in total in each of the last five years.

Sajid Javid: The number of days lost to sickness absence in each of the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			 HM Treasury 
			 As at 1 April to 31 March each year Working days lost 
			 2007-08 5,507 
			 2008-09 4,187 
			 2009-10 4,771 
			 2010-11 4,554 
			 2011-12 4,653 
		
	
	
		
			 Debt Management Office 
			 As at 1 April to 31 March each year Working days lost 
			 2007-08 310 
			 2008-09 278 
			 2009-10 447 
			 2010-11 373 
			 2011-12 480 
		
	
	We do not currently make an estimate of the cost of sick absence to the Department.
	The hon. Member also asked for a breakdown of sick absence into 14 different categories. However the information requested is not held centrally in this form and could be provided only at disproportionate costs.
	HM Treasury is firmly committed to the well-being of its staff and we keep under review various techniques and practices which support this commitment. Employees have access to a range of well-being services, which are provided on site at full cost to the employee. In addition, guidance is available for staff, for example on managing stress in the workplace, and support is available through an Occupational Health service and an Employee Assistance Programme.

Tax Allowances

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress he has made on bringing forward transferable tax allowances.

David Gauke: Introducing a recognition of marriage in the tax and benefit system is one of a wide range of measures that we are considering to support families and to demonstrate that we value commitment.

CABINET OFFICE

Emergencies

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office who holds (a) regional and (b) national responsibility for civil contingency.

Chloe Smith: The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 sets out a single framework for civil protection in the UK. Part 1 of the Act defines the local arrangements for civil protection and establishes a clear set of roles and responsibilities for organisations at the core of the response to most emergencies.
	The Civil Contingencies Secretariat within Cabinet Office is responsible for co-ordinating work across Government to improve the UK's ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies as set out within the Act. The Resilience and Emergencies Division within the Department for Communities and Local Government is responsible for co-ordinating resilience at the sub-national level.

Emergency Services: Telephone Services

Matthew Offord: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of an amalgamation of the emergency services call centres.

Chloe Smith: The provision of emergency services call centres, including any sharing or amalgamation, is a matter for the emergency services.

Government Departments: Procurement

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what his policy is on the transparency of gender balance for those organisations contracting with the Government.

Chloe Smith: Public authorities are required to have due regard to equality issues in their procurement activity under the Equality Act 2010. Practical steps are contained in Procurement Policy Note 01/13.

Annual Leave

Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies qualify for privilege days; and what the total cost to the public purse was of the number of privilege days utilised each year by such officials.

Francis Maude: At present, as was the situation under previous Administrations, Cabinet Office staff qualify for 2.5 days privilege leave per year in addition to their annual leave entitlement. One of these days is granted under the authority of the Queen.
	In the Civil Service Reform Plan, the Government announced our intention to modernise civil service terms and conditions, and to address those which are outliers relative to best practice in the private and wider public sector.
	Privilege leave represents a total cost to the public purse of 0.96% of the Department's overall paybill.

Mobile Phones

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many BlackBerrys have been purchased by his Department since May 2010.

Nick Hurd: Further to my answer of 7 March 2013, Official Report, column 1140W, the Cabinet Office has purchased 825 BlackBerrys from 2011 up to 13 March 2013. Data from before 2011 is not readily available. I

Non-departmental Public Bodies

Michael Ellis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many members of quasi-autonomous, non-governmental bodies are paid more than the Prime Minister.

Francis Maude: Since the general election, all appointments made by Ministers to public bodies which have a salary of over £142,500 require approval from the Chief Secretary to the Treasury. This threshold is applied on a pro rata basis.
	Information on the remuneration of chairs of non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), for the financial year 2011-12, can be found in public bodies 2012. This publication is available at:
	http://resources.civilservice.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/PB12.pdf
	Copies are also available in the Libraries of the House.
	In addition to this the Government published information in 2010 identifying NDPB staff who earn more than £150,000. This information is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/news/quango-high-earners-revealed-by-the-cabinet-office

Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what allowances and subsidies in addition to salary were available to officials in (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies in each of the last five years; and what the monetary value was of such payments and allowances in each such year.

Francis Maude: I refer my hon. Friend to the answers I gave on 18 January 2012, Official Report, column 878W. Data for 2012-13 is not yet available.

Public Sector: Databases

David Lammy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will produce statutory guidance to all public services on data sharing and the use of data sharing in detecting the early warning signs of criminal behaviour or child protection concerns.

Helen Grant: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
	The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) published a statutory code of practice on data sharing under s52 of the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) in May 2011. The code explains how the DPA applies to the sharing of personal data and provides good practice advice to organisations that can be adapted to the particular circumstances in which they are operating, including those organisations involved in child protection. The code of practice can be found at:
	http://www.ico.gov.uk/for_organisations/data_protection/topic_guides/data_sharing.aspx
	The Government will be publishing revised statutory safeguarding guidance, Working Together to Safeguard Children, which makes clear the information sharing responsibilities of organisations and professionals dealing with child safeguarding or child protection concerns.
	In addition, the cross Government publication, Information Sharing: Guidance for practitioners and managers, supports front-line practitioners working in child or adult services who have to make decisions about sharing information on a case-by-case basis.

Recruitment

Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many officials were recruited to (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies in each of the last five years.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office has recruited 261 officials in 2009-10, 165 officials in 2010-11, and 311 officials in 2011-12. Figures for prior to 2009-10 are not readily available. Since the general election my Department has refocused its priorities and expanded as a result of machinery of government changes. Recruitment of new staff should be set in the context of departures over the same period.
	The Civil Service Commission was established as an Executive (NDPB) under legislation passed by the previous Administration and is responsible for recruiting its own staff. The other Cabinet Office-sponsored public bodies are supported by Cabinet Office officials and do not recruit their own staff.

Sickness Absence

Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many days (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies has lost to staff sickness in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the cost of such absence in each year;
	(2)  how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies have had (i) fewer than five days, (ii) five to 10 days, (iii) 10 to 15 days, (iv) 15 to 20 days, (v) 20 to 25 days, (vi) 25 to 50 days, (vii) 50 to 75 days, (viii) 75 to 100 days, (ix) 100 to 150 days, (x) 150 to 200 days, (xi) more than 200 days, (xii) more than three months, (xiii) more than six months and (xiv) more than one year on paid sick leave (A) consecutively and (B) in total in each of the last five years.

Francis Maude: Information about sickness absence in the Cabinet Office and its agencies is published on the Cabinet Office website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-absence-data
	The most recent published figures on the civil service:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/improving/health-and-wellbeing/sickness-absence
	show that for the year to 30 September 2012, the Cabinet Office has one of the lowest civil service sickness rates at 2.8 (average working days lost) when compared to the current civil service average of 7.6.

Telephone Services

Richard Burden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many Government-operated telephone numbers begin 08; and for how many such numbers a UK landline number beginning 01, 02 or 03 is also available as an alternative.

Nick Hurd: This information is not held centrally. Departments determine their own use of telephone numbers.

Voluntary Work

Michael Ellis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of trends in volunteering in 2012; and what steps he is taking to increase levels of volunteering.

Nick Hurd: Official Statistics published for the first time by the Cabinet Office on 12 February 2013 (from quarter 2 of the community life survey 2012-13)
	http://communitylife.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/
	show that the proportion of people volunteering at least once a year now stands at 71%, an increase from 65% in 2010-11, with an even bigger increase in the proportion of people volunteering regularly. This equates to millions more people volunteering across the country, showing that the cultural change is not limited to the 120,000 who volunteered to make the 2012 games a success. Significantly, this reverses the steady decline in volunteering seen since 2005.
	The Government are also taking a range of steps to increase levels of volunteering. For example, in February 2013 we announced the creation of the Centre for Social Action which aims to identify and accelerate the development and spread of social action initiatives including volunteering.
	We are also creating new ways for people to volunteer. For example, through the “Dementia Friends” campaign we are mobilising 1 million volunteers to help communities become more dementia friendly. In addition, through “Join in” people are being inspired by 2012 to be more involved in sporting and community events.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much financial aid her Department has given to each British Overseas Territory in the last 12 months.

Alan Duncan: In 2011-12, the last year for which figures are available, DFID provided financial aid to British Overseas Territories as detailed in the following table:
	
		
			 British Overseas Territory Funds provided (£) 
			 Montserrat 24,368,000 
			 Pitcairn 2,774,000 
			 St Helena 68,223,000 
			 Turks and Caicos Islands 2,061,000 
			 Cross Territory Funds 2,256,000 
		
	
	While DFID does not have an aid programme in the Turks and Caicos Islands, we have provided technical assistance to support a guarantee for Government commercial borrowing for a maximum capital amount of US$260 million. This borrowing will mature in 2016 at which time we expect the TCI Government to raise the remaining finance it requires without DFID support.
	Cross Territory funding is used to support a number of projects and initiatives which work across a number of Territories, for example on safeguarding children.

Consultants

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of her Department's budget is spent on external consultancy companies.

Justine Greening: DFID spend on consultancy for the last full financial year 2011-12 was £0.7 million. This has fallen 50% from £1.4 million since May 2010 when DFID implemented the cross-Government spending controls.

Annual Leave

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many officials in her Department qualify for privilege days; and what the total cost to the public purse was of the number of privilege days utilised each year by such officials.

Alan Duncan: All DFID employees have a contractual right to take 2.5 days of paid time off as privilege leave in addition to paid annual leave and public holidays. All DFID employees currently qualify for privilege days. We do not centrally record the cost of privilege days and this could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Middle East

Duncan Hames: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the total value of aid given by the Government to (a) Israel and (b) the Occupied Palestinian Territories was in each of the last three years.

Alan Duncan: The UK Government do not have a bilateral aid programme with Israel.
	The total value of aid given by the UK Government to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) in each of the last three years was as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2009-10 62, 603,000 
			 2010-11 51,786,000 
			 2011-12 56,421,000 
		
	
	In addition, we have given the following support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides support to Palestinian refugees in the region including the OPTs, in each of the last three years:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2009-10 24,930,000 
			 2010-11 27,000,000 
			 2011-12 38,014,000

Palestinians

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what assessment her Department has made of recent reports that Norway has launched a parliamentary committee looking into Palestinian Authority payments to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails;
	(2)  what recent discussions she has had with her Norwegian counterpart on Palestinian Authority payments to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what representations her Department has made to the Palestinian authority to ensure any social welfare payments to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails reach those intended; [R]
	(2)  what representations her Department has made to the Palestinian Authority about the value of monthly payments made to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. [R]

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what representations her Department has made to the Israeli Government about Palestinian Authority payments to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails;
	(2)  what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterparts about Palestinian Authority payments to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations her Department has made to Israeli officials about monthly payments made to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Alan Duncan: In respect of its departmental responsibilities and its own funding and activities, the Department considers this matter to have been adequately covered in previous answers both oral and written; I refer my hon. Friends to answers given in the Official Report on 30 October 2012, column 162W; 15 January 2013, column 645W; 31 January 2013, column 943W; 4 February 2013, columns 40-41W; 5 February 2013, column 213W; 6 February 2013, column 299W and 1 March 2013, column 766W; and the oral answer made on 13 March 2013, Official Report , column 293. DFID is not answerable for parliamentary scrutiny in other countries, nor for any such issues as may exist between the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority.

Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was paid to officials in (a) her Department and (b) its non-departmental public body in bonuses and other payments in addition to salary in each of the last five years; how many officials received such payments; and what the monetary value was of the 20 largest payments made in each year.

Alan Duncan: The following table shows for each of the last five financial years: the amount paid in non-consolidated performance awards; the categories of payments made in addition to base salary and the monetary value of each; and the number of officials who received such payments. The figures provided do not include payments to cover the reimbursement of business expenses nor the reimbursement of education fees.
	DFID has two non-departmental public bodies: the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission which does not employ staff and therefore has not made any such payments; and the Independent Commission for Aid Impact for which details have been withheld because the numbers of staff employed are five or fewer.
	
		
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Payment description Total (£) Number Total (£) Number Total (£) Number Total (£) Number Total (£) Number 
			 Performance Related Pay 1,334,953 1,648 670,978 79 1,426,279 1,443 1,258,519 1,613 1,102,327 1,514 
			 Overseas Cost of Living Allowance 2,160,074 785 3,055,481 802 3,748,731 801 3,265,074 807 3,400,706 863 
			 Overseas Hardship Allowance 3,117,035 788 3,485,680 800 3,624,147 797 3,593,182 800 3,515,859 858 
			 Overseas Relocation Allowances 551,788 279 555,462 275 528,589 244 585,464 241 806,184 300 
			 Representation Allowances 261,238 353 242,583 340 199,253 309 168,614 292 175,989 263 
			 Overseas Maintenance Allowance 58,088 139 59,184 126 43,144 90 25,367 52 10,327 29 
			 Market Allowances 358,421 210 322,108 168 322,343 171 311,555 164 305,749 154 
			 Foreign Language Allow 1,223 (1)<5 910 (1)<5 858 (1)<5 858 (1)<5 858 (1)<5 
			 On Call Allowance 57,784 47 74,090 76 76,038 69 61,506 55 68,336 66 
			 Inner London Dispersal 228 (1)<5 228 (1)<5 228 (1)<5 228 (1)<5 0 0 
			 Hazardous Locations Allowance 78,930 48 83,774 43 98,504 67 107,222 71 93,655 71 
			 Fire warden and Evacuation Pay 5,000 97 4,400 88 4,050 61 4,500 89 4,650 92 
			 (1) Data withheld where number of recipients is 5 or fewer. 
		
	
	The following table provides details of the 20 largest payments made in each of the last five financial years. These relate primarily to extraordinary circumstances in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
	
		
			 £ 
			 Ranking 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 1 33,283 33,615 42,134 39,864 38,792 
			 2 33,283 33,615 41,185 39,864 37,176 
			 3 33,283 33,615 41,086 36,964 33,606 
			 4 33,283 32,614 39,276 30,207 29,094 
			 5 30,494 32,236 36,421 27,723 28,178 
			 6 30,494 28,123 36,421 27,723 25,113 
			 7 30,367 27,575 36,421 27,723 21,744 
			 8 29,710 25,849 36,421 27,475 21,349 
			 9 27,543 25,565 36,421 27,209 21,349 
			 10 23,176 25,342 36,421 26,576 21,349 
			 11 20,195 24,451 36,421 24,946 21,349 
			 12 20,191 23,656 36,421 23,164 21,349 
			 13 20,187 23,430 36,421 22,556 21,104 
			 14 17,167 23,409 36,421 21,879 20,511 
			 15 17,167 22,700 35,515 21,879 20,459 
			 16 17,167 22,517 34,128 21,382 20,128 
			 17 17,167 21,859 33,401 21,357 19,813 
			 18 17,167 21,558 31,730 20,407 19,558 
			 19 16,993 21,423 30,106 20,407 19,396 
			 20 16,993 20,685 29,847 20,407 19,396 
			 Note: The 20 largest payments in each year were for Overseas Hardship/Cost of Living.

Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what allowances and subsidies in addition to salary were available to officials in (a) her Department and (b) its non-departmental public body in each of the last five years; and what the monetary value was of such payments and allowances in each such year.

Alan Duncan: The following table shows for each of the last five financial years the categories of allowances available to officials in addition to base salary. It also shows the total amount paid to officials for each allowance in each of the last five financial years.
	
		
			 Total (£) 
			 Allowance description 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Overseas Cost of Living Allowance 2,160,074 3,055,481 3,748,731 3,265,074 3,400,706 
			 Overseas Hardship Allowance 3,117,035 3,485,680 3,624,147 3,593,182 3,515,859 
			 Overseas Relocation Allowances 551,788 555,462 528,589 585,464 806,184 
			 Representation Allowances 261,238 242,583 199,253 168,614 175,989 
			 Overseas Maintenance Allowance 58,088 59,184 43,144 25,367 10,327 
			 Market Allowances 358,421 322,108 322,343 311,555 305,749 
			 Foreign Language Allow 1,223 910 858 858 858 
			 On Call Allowance 57,784 74,090 76,038 61,506 68,336 
			 Inner London Dispersal 228 228 228 228 0 
			 Hazardous Locations Allowance 78,930 83,774 98,504 107,222 93,655 
			 Fire warden and Evacuation Pay 5,000 4,400 4,050 4,500 4,650 
		
	
	DFID has two non-departmental public bodies: the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission which does not employ staff and therefore has not made any such payments; and the Independent Commission for Aid impact for which details have been withheld because the number of staff employed is five or fewer.

Procurement

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will take steps to ensure companies receiving support from her Department under her new strategy on economic growth have to demonstrate decent employment practices throughout their supply chain and acceptable levels of pay to workers in developing countries.

Justine Greening: As I indicated in my speech to the London Stock Exchange on 11 March 2013,
	“I want to see far more businesses joining the development push with DFID”.
	Our joint work with the Confederation of British Industry and other stakeholders will aim to ensure that this takes place responsibly.

Procurement

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what criteria her Department uses to determine when to award a contract to a UK company for work in a developing country without a tendering process.

Justine Greening: The vast majority of contracts over £113,000 are awarded following a competitive tender. In accordance with EU public procurement regulations the Department may decide to use single source procurement to award a contract where there is justification for this, for example in circumstances of extreme urgency such as a humanitarian response, or where services are exempt under category B of the EU regulations.

Procurement

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will take steps to ensure her new strategy for economic growth will include a provision that precludes any companies engaged in tax avoidance or evasion from receiving future funding or support from her Department.

Justine Greening: We will be working with businesses, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders through the course of this year to further develop our strategy for economic growth.
	The Prime Minister has made clear that the UK's G8 presidency will focus on strengthening international tax standards and working with developing countries to enable them to collect tax that is due to them.

Recruitment

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many officials were recruited to (a) her Department and (b) its non-departmental public body in each of the last five years.

Alan Duncan: The number of people recruited was:
	
		
			  DFID Non-departmental public bodies 
			 2008 99 0 
			 2009 104 0 
			 2010 87 1 
			 2011 164 3 
			 2012 203 0

Sickness Absence

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many days (a) her Department and (b) its non-departmental public body has lost to staff sickness in each of the last five years; and what estimate she has made of the cost of such absence in each year.

Alan Duncan: The number of days lost to sickness absence in DFID, for each of the last five years, is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Total days lost to sickness absence 
			 2008 11,487 
			 2009 9,098 
			 2010 9,881 
			 2011 9,142 
			 2012 8,896 
		
	
	Costs of sickness absence are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Sickness Absence

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many officials in (a) her Department and (b) its non-departmental public body have had (i) fewer than five days, (ii) five to 10 days, (iii) 10 to 15 days, (iv) 15 to 20 days, (v) 20 to 25 days, (vi) 25 to 50 days, (vii) 50 to 75 days, (viii) 75 to 100 days, (ix) 100 to 150 days, (x) 150 to 200 days, (xi) more than 200 days, (xii) more than three months, (xiii) more than six months and (xiv) more than one year on paid sick leave (A) consecutively and (B) in total in each of the last five years.

Alan Duncan: DFID does not gather information on the length of sickness absence by the increments listed. To research those data and produce figures for each of the time frames requested could be done only at disproportionate cost.
	However, details of the total number of days lost to short-term (absences of 20 working days or less), long-term (absences of 21 working days or more), and overall days lost to sickness absence by our senior civil servants, during each of the last five years, are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 DFID SCS sickness absences during 2008 to 2012 
			  Days lost to short-term sickness absence Number of SCS absent Days lost to long-term sickness absence Number of SCS absent Total days lost to sickness absence by SCS staff Number of SCS absent 
			 2008 109 12 26 1 135 14 
			 2009 47 12 143 3 190 15 
			 2010 29 10 0 0 29 10 
			 2011 42 13 0 0 42 13 
			 2012 59 13 0 0 59 13 
		
	
	Our policy on sick pay is to reduce pay to half pay after six months of sickness absence, then to zero pay after 12 months of sickness absence.
	DFID has two non-departmental public bodies, i.e. Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and the Independent Commission for Aid Impact. There is no recorded sickness absence for either of these during the last five years.

Syria

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with her counterparts in those countries which have not yet met their aid pledges to Syria made at the Kuwait conference in January 2013.

Justine Greening: We are working closely with our international partners to encourage them to translate the pledges they made at Kuwait to deliver real support on the ground.

Syria

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had on asking countries other than Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey to accept Syrian refugees.

Alan Duncan: DFID is extremely concerned about the rising number of refugees as a result of the Syria crisis and we are continuing to encourage countries to further support the humanitarian response.
	Our assessment of the best way to support the Syrian people is to ensure they are as close to their extended family and local support networks as possible. I commend the countries that continue to welcome refugees from Syria, including Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey, Egypt and North Africa. The local communities in the region have been extraordinarily generous in hosting refugees from Syria. The UK is providing £139.5 million in humanitarian assistance to those affected by the crisis both inside Syria and in the region.

Termination of Employment

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many officials in (a) her Department and (b) its non-departmental public body have left that body due to (i) resignation, (ii) retirement, (iii) redundancy, (iv) transferral to another public sector post and (v) another reason in each of the last five years.

Alan Duncan: The numbers of DFID Home Civil Service (HCS) staff who have left the Department in each of the last five years, by the leaving reasons requested, are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Resignation Retirement Redundancy Transferral to another public sector post Other reason 
			 2008 47 64 1 16 44 
			 2009 32 74 3 9 35 
			 2010 65 0 17 8 38 
			 2011 59 0 35 10 43 
			 2012 68 0 15 8 33 
		
	
	No officials working for DFID's non-departmental public bodies have left due to these reasons.
	Since 2010, DFID no longer has a retirement age. Therefore, this is no longer a reason for leaving.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the his contribution of 18 December 2012, Official Report, column 864, what plans the Government have to ensure the safety of locally employed civilians after the withdrawal of UK troops from Afghanistan; and in what way provisions for the safety of locally employed Afghan interpreters may differ from the provisions afforded to locally-employed Iraqi interpreters.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 14 March 2013
	We continue to recognise our clear commitment to treat locally engaged staff fairly and appropriately, and to take all reasonable steps to ensure their safety and security.
	We are looking at how we are going to make appropriate provision to support locally employed civilians as we draw down our combat mission in Afghanistan. Until this review is concluded, I am unable to comment on any differences between the policies for Afghanistan and Iraq.

Africa

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has held with US personnel at the Joint Analysis Center at RAF Molesworth about the use of US military drones in Africa.

Andrew Robathan: None.

Armed Forces: Donors

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps each of the armed forces takes to promote to servicemen and women the process of registration as a blood, organ or bone marrow donor.

Mark Francois: Each of the armed forces single services regularly liaises with local NHS trusts to promote donor initiatives such as NHS run blood donor sessions facilitated at Ministry of Defence establishments.
	Donations such as blood, organ or bone marrow is a decision for individual service personnel and registration of such is confidential between the individual and the NHS.

Armed Forces: Engineers

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will estimate the annual cost, including equipment, of a squadron of combat engineers;
	(2)  if he will estimate the annual cost, including equipment, of a battery of artillery equipped with AS90.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 14 March 2013
	The annual cost of a specified type of unit will depend on that unit's size, role and manpower mix and will comprise a combination of personnel, training, infrastructure, and equipment. This information is not held in the format requested.

Armed Forces: Scotland

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many serving Scottish service personnel are registered to vote in Scotland;
	(2)  how many Scottish service personnel are registered to vote as service voters.

Mark Francois: We actively encourage all eligible service personnel to register to vote, and to participate fully in the democratic process. However, registration is a private matter and the Ministry of Defence does not require personnel to disclose whether they have registered or not.
	We do provide a mechanism for service personnel to record, on a voluntary basis, their registration status. Since only a proportion of personnel choose to do so, and no data is held on the place of registration, it is not possible to provide the information requested.

Armed Forces: Scotland

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel based in Scotland are currently serving in another country.

Mark Francois: As at 1 January 2013 there were 10,860 regular service personnel based in Scotland. Currently some 1,120 of those personnel based in Scotland are serving outside the UK.

Army: Scotland

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the annual cost of (a) the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, (b) the Scots Guards and (c) the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 14 March 2013
	The annual cost of a Regiment will depend on that Regiment's size, role and manpower mix and will comprise a combination of personnel, training, infrastructure and equipment. This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Clyde Naval Base

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the potential cost and timescale of transferring the assets and facilities at HM Naval Base Clyde to an alternative location in England and Wales.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the hon. Member to the sixth paragraph of the Government's response to the House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee's Fourth Report of Session 2012-13 (HC 861).

Defence Suppliers Forum

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who the members are of the Defence Suppliers Forum; on what basis they are invited to attend meetings of the Forum; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Dunne: Membership of the Defence Suppliers Forum is by invitation of the Secretary of State for Defence, who chairs the meetings. Currently, invitations are extended to the Chief Executive Officer, or equivalent, to the Ministry of Defence's 11 largest suppliers and to two representatives from the Defence Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Forum on a rotational basis, a trade association and one of its members.

Historical Enquiries Team

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what legal costs have been incurred by his Department as a result of securing legal advice for former soldiers involved with Historical Enquiries Team investigations.

Andrew Robathan: Our records indicate that about £369,000 has been spent for this purpose, from 2009 to the present.

HMS Duncan

Penny Mordaunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the annual cost of (a) fuel, (b) spares, (c) maintenance and (d) training and other running costs, excluding crew costs, of HMS Duncan.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 14 March 2013
	The current estimates of the annual cost for HMS Duncan are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 Fuel costs 2 
			 Engineering support costs (1)31 
			 (1) The Type 45 Engineering Support work is done under a Contracting for Availability arrangement. Under this arrangement, the Ministry of Defence is not able to identify separately the costs of spares and other maintenance activity. The figure quoted therefore covers both spares and maintenance work. Note: Training costs are not broken down to platform level so this information is not held in the format requested.

HMS Tireless

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2013, Official Report, column 718W, on HMS Tireless, if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the investigation into the recent coolant leak from the reactor of HMS Tireless conducted by the Naval Reactor Plant Authorisee.

Philip Dunne: The investigation into the recent coolant leak on HMS Tireless remains under way.

Marchwood Military Port

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 11 March 2013, Official Report, columns 76-7W, on Marchwood Military Port, whether the Sea Mounting Centre will remain at Marchwood irrespective of the future ownership of the site.

Philip Dunne: Under current plans, the intention is for the Sea Mounting Centre to remain at Marchwood following a sale.

Military Police

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on the Ministry of Defence police in each financial year since 2005; and how much is planned to be spent in each year to 2015.

Mark Francois: holding answer 12 March 2013
	The following table shows how much has been spent on the Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) in each financial year (FY) since 2005 to date:
	
		
			 FY MDP spend (£ million) 
			 2005-06 173.689 
			 2006-07 174.679 
			 2007-08 171.554 
			 2008-09 183.148 
			 2009-10 182.518 
			 2010-11 172.931 
			 2011-12 163.297 
			 2012-13 (1)144.723 
			 (1 )This figure is subject to achievement of outstanding expenditure commitments before the end of the financial year. 
		
	
	Planned figures are subject to agreement as part of the Ministry of Defence's ongoing departmental financial planning round and therefore cannot be released at this time.

Military Police

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what underspends have occurred in the budget for the Ministry of Defence Police in the last three years.

Mark Francois: holding answer 12 March 2013
	The Ministry of Defence Police has not underspent in the last three years against the budget delegated to it by its top level budget within the Ministry of Defence.

North Africa

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK armed forces personnel are currently deployed in (a) Mali, (b) Algeria, (c) Morocco, (d) Senegal and (e) Nigeria or any other country bordering the Sahara; and what their terms of deployment and engagement are.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 7 March 2013
	The current breakdown of permanent personnel in the countries specified is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 Nigeria 3 
			 Algeria 1 
			 Morocco 2 
			 Libya 6 
			 Sudan 2 
			 Total 14 
		
	
	Additionally there are some 100 personnel in Mali, Chad and Senegal supporting current operations in Mali.
	The precise number of personnel fluctuates on a daily basis for a variety of reasons, including visits, mid-tour rest and recuperation, temporary absence for training, evacuation for medical reasons and the roulement of forces. We do not, therefore, publish daily figures for personnel present in theatre.
	Personnel are employed in a number of roles including diplomatic representation and defence engagement, liaison, training and wider support roles including logistic support to operations. These tasks can require short-term visits or detachments to other countries in the region for example, the provision of support to Nigerian forces deploying to Mali.

RAF Leuchars

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what items of Typhoon Force mission-specific infrastructure will remain at RAF Leuchars following the transfer of the Typhoon Force to RAF Lossiemouth.

Andrew Robathan: Once the transfer of the Typhoon Force to RAF Lossiemouth has been completed there will be no Typhoon Force mission-specific infrastructure retained at RAF Leuchars. It has recently been announced by the Ministry of Defence that the airfield at RAF Leuchars will be retained for other flying roles, including as a diversion airfield.

RAF Leuchars

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what items of Typhoon Force mission-specific infrastructure at RAF Leuchars have been identified for (a) transfer to RAF Lossiemouth or (b) deconstruction; what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of implementing such measures; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: All Typhoon Force mission-specific equipment, and related removable fittings and fixtures will be transferred to RAF Lossiemouth along with the Typhoon Force. Currently, there is no Typhoon Force mission-specific infrastructure at RAF Leuchars which has been identified for deconstruction as a result of the transfer. £2.7 million has been provisioned for moving Typhoon equipment from RAF Leuchars to RAF Lossiemouth within wider plans for future basing.

RAF Leuchars

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what items of infrastructure have been (a) commissioned for installation and (b) installed at RAF Leuchars in preparation for the arrival of Army units and associated personnel; and how much each such item (i) has or (ii) is estimated to cost.

Andrew Robathan: The Regular Army Basing plan sets out the phased handover of RAF Leuchars to the Army, commencing in early 2015 with the arrival of a small number of advance Army elements.
	As we prepare for the implementation phase of the Basing plan, further detailed work will be carried out to refine the infrastructure requirement. It is too early to confirm the specific infrastructure items that will be delivered to accommodate Army units and associated personnel.

RAF Leuchars

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the training estate (a) currently available and (b) required by the Army units and associated personnel to be stationed at the military base at RAF Leuchars; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: Current training facilities around Kirkcubright and Leuchars will be developed to meet the requirements of the units which will be based in Scotland. Kirkcubright will be used for low level driver training and the small training area at Leuchars will be developed on existing Ministry of Defence land for the Cavalry Regiment based there.

Reserve Forces

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the annual cost of a Reserve Army brigade.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 14 March 2013
	Our policy in recent years has generally been to use reservists as individual reinforcements to serve alongside their regular counterparts. As such there has been no requirement for the Territorial Army structure to include brigade level formations.
	The future cost of a specified type of unit will depend on that unit's size, role and manpower mix and will comprise a combination of personnel, training, infrastructure, and equipment. Our assessment of these costs will continue to develop in the light of our future arrangements for using reserves which will be informed by the forthcoming White Paper.

Reserve Forces: Recruitment

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the target was for recruitment for the (a) Territorial Army, (b) Royal Navy Reserve and (c) Royal Auxiliary Air Force in 2012; and how many people were recruited in each such category in that year.

Mark Francois: holding answer 25 January 2013
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the former Minister of State for the Armed Forces, the hon. Member for North Devon (Sir Nick Harvey) on 16 July 2012, Official Report, column 516W, to the right hon. Member for East Renfrewshire (Mr Murphy). Those figures were based on early assumptions about trained strength, outflow rates and the operation of the training pipeline. Since then, further work has enhanced the understanding of actual trained strength, the level of outflow during training and of retention rates in the trained strength. Subsequently a refined target for Territorial Army enlistment has been established for 2013-14 with the contractor under the Recruiting Partnering Project, at 6,383. Further work is ongoing to refine the required enlistment figures for future years.
	The numbers enlisted in the nine months of financial year 2012-13 up to the end of December 2012 against targets for the whole financial year 2012-13 as previously reported are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Service Numbers enlisted(1) 
			 Territorial Army 2,050 
			 Maritime Reserve(2) 360 
			 Royal Auxiliary Air Force 210 
			 (1) Enlistment rounded to the nearest 10. (2) Including the Royal Navy Reserve and Royal Marine Reserve. 
		
	
	These figures represent a period before the publication of the White Paper on Future Reserves and before the commencement of a new recruitment campaign and new offer to reservists. For the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy, the figures also reflect a delay in the planned start of a sustained marketing and recruitment campaign. For the Royal Navy, this has been partially offset by a better than anticipated transfer from ex-regulars. We are investing an additional £1.8 billion in the reserves over 10 years and we have recently conducted a public consultation to ensure that the right relationships are established between Reservists and their families, their employers and the armed forces in the future. Overall, the number of inquiries about joining the reserves has increased and early indications are that the strength of reserve forces is now stabilising.
	Proposals in the forthcoming White Paper will set the conditions to deliver the required reserve force strengths in the future. For the Army we anticipate that, together with the White Paper, transforming the Army recruiting system, through the Recruiting Partnering Project with Capita and new recruiting campaigns will lead to a significant increase in recruiting performance.

Sickness Absence

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many days (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies has lost to staff sickness in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the cost of such absence in each year;
	(2)  how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies have had (i) fewer than five days, (ii) five to 10 days, (iii) 10 to 15 days, (iv) 15 to 20 days, (v) 20 to 25 days, (vi) 25 to 50 days, (vii) 50 to 75 days, (viii) 75 to 100 days, (ix) 100 to 150 days, (x) 150 to 200 days, (xi) more than 200 days, (xii) more than three months, (xiii) more than six months and (xiv) more than one year on paid sick leave (A) consecutively and (B) in total in each of the last five years.

Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to reducing sickness absence. Occupational health advice and support is available to all employees and their line managers. Guidance and training is available to line managers on managing absence. We actively encourage the use of return to work interviews and have trigger points in place for the commencement of management action. We are currently reviewing all of our absence policies and are looking to introduce the civil service ‘Employee Policy—Attendance Management’ products in January 2014.
	We also recognise that the health of the Department's civilian staff is central to their attendance and performance at work, and the contribution they make to Defence outputs. While the MOD compares favourably with other large Departments in terms of sick absence rates, we are not complacent. As such, the MOD's Permanent Secretary has appointed a ‘Health and Well-being Champion’ at a senior level who is responsible for supporting and encouraging progress on particular aspects of the Department's health and well-being agenda, as well as promoting the topic throughout the organisation.
	Information held by the MOD enables us to distinguish between the total number of days lost through short-term and long-term sickness absence. Long-term absence is defined as over 28 consecutive calendar days. Data on the number of staff involved cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate costs.
	The following table shows the number of days lost through sickness absence by civilian staff in the last five calendar years with associated costs. The number of days lost includes non-industrial and industrial staff and the staff of the MOD trading funds but excludes staff in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) and locally engaged civilians (LEC) for whom sickness absence data are not readily available. Financial data are not readily available for the staff of the MOD trading funds, RFA and LEC and are therefore excluded from the table.
	Costs have been calculated using capitation rates for each civil service grade and multiplied by the number of working days lost by each grade.
	
		
			 Period of sickness absence (1 January to 31 December each year) Days lost (short-term sick) Days lost (long-term sick) Cost (£ million) 
			 2008-08 297,671 316,404 65.72 
			 2009-09 284,930 296,752 64.01 
			 2010-10 270,455 293,271 62.91 
			 2011-11 248,965 279,460 60.47 
			 2012-12 219,958 236,143 52.76

Telephone Services

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) 0800, (b) 0808, (c) 0844, (d) 0845 and (e) 0870 telephone numbers for the public are in use by (i) his Department and (ii) the agencies for which he is responsible.

Mark Francois: The following number of telephone lines are provided through the Defence Fixed Telephone System (DFTS) contract:
	
		
			  Number 
			 0800 79 
			 0808 1 
			 0844 0 
			 0845 21 
			 0870 2 
		
	
	It is possible, albeit unlikely, that additional premium rate telephone lines are used outside of the DFTS contract, but this information is not held centrally.
	In addition, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, a Trading Fund of the Ministry of Defence (MOD), uses one 0800 number.
	The majority of these lines are for use by serving MOD civilian and military personnel and the wider MOD community, including service families, veterans, and contractors. Records of premium rate numbers for use by the general public are not held centrally.

Veterans: Training

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to support those social enterprises and charities that work to retrain ex-military personnel; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: The Government are committed to working in partnership with the ex-service social and charitable sectors to deliver a high level of support where needed. The Ministry of Defence welcomes all offers of support to our service leavers, including the provision of retraining. The MOD has an authorised list of training providers which is administered through the Career Transition Partnership. This is known as the Preferred Suppliers List and we welcome applications through the CTP website which can be found at:
	www.ctp.org.uk

Wind Power

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  on how many occasions his Department has intervened in planning decisions on the installation of wind turbines in each of the last five years;
	(2)  for what reasons his Department has intervened in planning decisions on the installation of wind turbines in each of the last five years.

Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is only a consultee in the planning application process and has no control over the number of planning application consultations it receives from planning authorities. The planning authority has the opportunity to consider and test representations made by the applicants as well as interested parties, including the MOD, before reaching their final decision. It is for the planning authority to decide which applications should proceed and how to strike the balance between national Defence and energy considerations. The MOD will, when requested to do so by the local planning authority, provide further information in support of its consultation response.
	Wind turbines can adversely affect a number of MOD operations including radars, seismological recording equipment, communications facilities, naval operations and low flying. It is for this reason that every wind turbine application is assessed on a case-by-case basis and on its own merits.

EDUCATION

Education Maintenance Allowance

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect on students in England of abolishing the educational maintenance allowance; and if he will make a statement.

David Laws: Education maintenance allowance (EMA) was replaced by the 16-19 Bursary Fund in September 2011, although transitional arrangements meant that 80% of the students who received EMA in 2010/11 in the first year of their courses continued to receive it in 2011/12.
	The Department has commissioned two independent evaluation projects to measure the impact of the change in policy on students in England.
	The first of these, a quantitative study by the Institute of Education (IoE), will enable the Department to understand the impact of the change in policy on participation and academic attainment. It is a three-year study and is due to be completed in late 2014.
	The second project, conducted by NatCen Social Research, will enable the Department to understand: the characteristics of applicants and recipients of bursaries; the perceived impact of the bursaries; the decision-making processes related to awarding bursaries and the equality of opportunity between different groups of students. This study will be completed at the end of 2014 although early findings will be available in an interim report in spring 2013.

Hetton School

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the statement of 1 March 2013, Official Report, columns 40-2WS, on school capital funding, if he will place in the Library the priority data survey for Hetton School.

David Laws: holding answer 13 March 2013
	Hetton School is one of the successful schools that will be allocated funding through the Priority School Building Programme and will not be surveyed as part of the Property Data Survey Programme.
	As part of the application process for the Priority School Building Programme, applicants were asked to provide a school Building Condition Survey obtained or updated within the two years prior to the date of the application.
	Sunderland county council made the application on behalf of Hetton School and should be contacted directly to provide a copy of the relevant survey.

ICT: Teachers

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what funding his Department has allocated to train teachers to the level where they can adequately teach the new ICT curriculum.

David Laws: holding answer 11 March 2013
	According to the latest data available there are 18,600 teachers currently teaching ICT. In addition, the Department, through the Teaching Agency, has allocated funding to train new teachers to deliver the computing curriculum from 2014. This funding is made up of training bursaries, which range from £4,000 to £9,000 depending on the degree classification of the trainee, subject knowledge enhancement courses, which range from £800 to £8,600 per place depending on the length of course, and salary grants of between £14,000 and £17,600 for trainees undertaking the new School Direct (Salaried) route. In addition, a small number of scholarships are available through BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, which are worth £20,000 each.

ICT: Teachers

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department plans to take in the next 12 months to ensure that there are enough teachers qualified to teach the ICT curriculum.

David Laws: holding answer 11 March 2013
	New computer science postgraduate initial teacher training (ITT) programmes will deliver suitably trained teachers into the workforce in 2014. These programmes are supported by pre-ITT subject knowledge enhancement courses designed in conjunction with industry specialists. The Department is also supporting existing ICT teachers to deliver the new curriculum through the Network of Teaching Excellence in Computer Science established by BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT.

Primary Education: Admissions

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 7 February 2013, Official Report, columns 408-9W, on primary education, to what extent parents' wishes are taken into account when decisions are made on whether to allow a prematurely-born child to delay or defer entry to primary school under the School Admissions Code.

David Laws: holding answer 4 March 2013
	The School Admissions Code requires schools to provide for the admission of all children in the September following their fourth birthday, but children do not reach compulsory school age until the start of the term following their fifth birthday. Parents may request that their child's entry to school is deferred until the point at which they reach compulsory school age, or that they attend part time until they reach compulsory school age. No child is required to start school before they reach compulsory school age.
	Where a parent requests that their child is educated out of their normal age group, the code requires admission authorities to make a decision on the basis of the circumstances of the case—this would include taking account of the parent's reasons for making the request.

Primary Education: Admissions

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 7 February 2013, Official Report, columns 408-9W, on primary education, whether parents of prematurely-born children may appeal a decision not to allow their child to delay or defer entry to primary school under the School Admissions Code.

David Laws: holding answer 4 March 2013
	No child is required to start school before they reach compulsory school age; therefore, no admission authority can refuse a parent's request to defer their child's entry to primary school. It is not possible to delay entry beyond compulsory school age.
	Parents have the right of appeal to an independent admission appeal panel against the refusal of a place at a school for which they have applied. They do not have the right to appeal to such a panel about a refusal to educate their child out of their normal age group. In these circumstances, they would be able to complain using the school's formal complaints procedure.

Primary Education: Admissions

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many parents of prematurely born children have been allowed to delay or defer their child's entry to primary school in each of the last five years.

David Laws: holding answer 4 March 2013
	The Department does not collect data on how many parents of prematurely born children have been allowed to delay or defer their child's entry to primary school.

Primary Education: Croydon

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received from the London borough of Croydon on funding for additional primary school places; and if he will make a statement.

David Laws: holding answer 5 March 2013
	The Department for Education received correspondence from the London borough of Croydon's executive director for Children, Families and Learning in February 2012. The correspondence detailed the increased demand for primary places and the future pressures on secondary provision across the local authority, as well as explaining the cost to the London borough of Croydon of providing those pupil places.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the use of the pupil premium in Swindon.

David Laws: The Government are determined that the pupil premium is used by schools to close attainment gaps between disadvantaged pupils and their peers. Nationally, the Government have made a significant investment in disadvantaged children through the pupil premium, which is currently £1.25 billion and will rise to £1.875 billion in 2013-14. The rate of pupil premium will be £900 for each disadvantaged child in 2013-14, and in 2014-15 our overall investment rises to £2.5 billion.
	In 2011-12, 4,520 pupils attending schools in Swindon were eligible for the pupil or service premium, attracting £2.165 million. In 2012-13, we extended eligibility for the pupil premium, so that 7,040 pupils in Swindon attracted £4.038 million of additional funding for schools. Using 2012 pupil figures indicate that schools in Swindon will attract over £6 million in 2013-14.
	The Government believe that school leaders should decide how to use the pupil premium, in order to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. Schools have the lead responsibility in assessing and accounting for their use of the premium, but we have also taken steps to hold them to account—both locally and nationally—for this significant extra investment by central Government.
	In addition to information now being available to parents and their communities about the educational attainment of pupils entitled to free school meals in the published performance tables, schools receiving the pupil premium are required to publish an annual statement online which includes: the school's pupil premium funding for the current academic year; their plans for spending the premium; the funding allocation for the previous academic year and details of how it was spent; and the effect of this expenditure on the educational attainment of the school's premium pupils. Together, these steps enable Swindon schools to be held to account by their communities.
	We have also commissioned both an external evaluation of the premium's first year, which we shall be publishing shortly, and a study by Ofsted of how effectively schools are using their pupil premium funding. Ofsted published their interim study findings in September 2012 and their final report on 11 February 2013. The report focuses on schools that are able to tell inspectors how their funding is being spent and can demonstrate its impact. The Government welcomed this report.
	Ofsted now have an increased focus on the performance of pupils who attract the premium, and on how it is used to remove barriers to learning for premium pupils. Since September 2012, as part of routine school inspection, Ofsted have been holding school leaders to account for how schools have spent their pupil premium and what difference this is making to the learning and progress of the pupils concerned. Their judgments on schools' leadership will consider the use of both the premium and other resources to overcome barriers to achievement for their pupils. In his annual report published in November, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector committed Ofsted to paying particular attention to attainment gaps affecting disadvantaged pupils in schools where they form a minority of less than 20% of all pupils.
	Where schools are judged by Ofsted to be using their pupil premium ineffectively it is important that swift action is taken to improve provision for disadvantaged pupils. For this reason, I have announced a new policy approach. This is designed to address the ineffective use of the pupil premium by schools that are neither good nor outstanding, and where pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds in that school are doing particularly poorly. In these circumstances, schools will be required to work with a school system leader—an outstanding leader from another school with a track record of narrowing attainment gaps—to draw up new strategies for spending their pupil premium based on evidence of what works and established best practice. Ofsted will then take account of the school's new strategy and adherence to it when monitoring progress and re-inspecting the school. Schools that are judged to ‘require improvement’ and that do not demonstrate improvement risk being judged ‘inadequate’. I believe this new approach will focus school leaders' minds on the important task of accelerating the progress of disadvantaged pupils.
	Taken together, the steps that we and Ofsted are taking will ensure a strong body of evidence for Swindon's parents and local community to assess how local schools are using the pupil premium.

School Leaving

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department expects to fund any new specialist provision following increases in the school participation age to 17 years old in 2013 and 18 years old in 2015.

David Laws: It is for local authorities as commissioners, taking account of demand from students and their parents, to decide whether places are funded at any new specialist provision. Under our current legislative proposals, students with learning difficulties and disabilities with an Education Health and Care Plan, or their parents, may request to attend a particular post-16 institution, including independent specialist colleges, as their plan is being drawn up. The local authority must accept this request unless certain conditions apply.
	As the participation age is raised, we expect all young people to participate in education including young people with learning difficulties or disabilities. So more specialist provision may be needed, but that will be for local authorities, in meeting their statutory responsibilities to make sufficient educational provision available, to decide.

Schools: Croydon

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much money for capital expenditure has been made available for (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in the London borough of Croydon in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and what proportion of such funding has been spent in each year.

David Laws: holding answer 5 March 2013
	The Department for Education announces a single allocation for both maintenance and basic need funding. We do not split this funding between primary and secondary provision; it is for local authorities to decide how this funding is then used locally. These capital grants are unringfenced and the Department has not, to date, collected information on how this funding has been spent. They breakdown as follows:
	
		
			 (£ millions) 
			  Basic need Maintenance Total 
			 2010-11 13.8 5.8 19.6 
			 2011-12 13.3 8.2 21.5 
			 2012-13 18.7 6.8 25.5 
			 2013-14 maintenance and 2013-15 basic need 63.2 5.5 68.7

Schools: Greater London

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish the formula used to calculate basic needs funding for (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in London.

David Laws: holding answer 5 March 2013
	The Department has published a capital allocations technical note and a summary of data used for the 2013 to 2015 basic need allocation on its website. Officials are in the process of providing detailed data sheets to every local authority in order to further explain their basic need allocation. Basic need funding is allocated using data provided by all local authorities to the Department through the Annual School Capacity Survey. The available budget for 2013 to 2015 was allocated on a relative need basis using the forecast shortfall in pupil places at 2015/16.

Schools: Repairs and Maintenance

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the statement of 1 March 2013, Official Report, columns 40-2WS, on school capital funding, how much of the £1.2 billion for school maintenance will be spent in each local authority area.

David Laws: holding answer 13 March 2013
	Of the £1.2 billion condition maintenance allocation announced on 1 March, £748 million has been allocated at a local authority level for maintained schools and voluntary aided schools. £391 million for Academies maintenance and £61 million for the maintenance of sixth form colleges will be allocated through application processes currently being run by the Department. A breakdown of the local authority level allocations is contained in the supporting annex, which will be placed in the House Library. This information is also available on the Department's website.

Vocational Education

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will assess the report from City and Guilds Centre for Skills Development entitled How to teach vocational education: a theory of vocational pedagogy, with particular regard to the practical policy implementations of the recommendation that vocational education needs to be taught in the context of practical problem-solving.

Matthew Hancock: The City and Guilds report is a welcome addition to debate around vocational education. Learning by trying to solve real-life problems can be a highly effective way of acquiring and applying vocational knowledge and skills. That is why we are implementing significant post-16 curriculum reforms and consulting on the reform of vocational qualifications. From September 2013 the introduction of 16-19 study programmes will particularly benefit students taking vocational programmes. These will focus on students studying substantial vocational qualifications, undertaking work experience and the continuing study of English and/or maths. The qualification reforms we are planning are expected to take effect from September 2014 and will encourage a much greater focus on the mastery of occupationally relevant skills.

Young People: Unemployment

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of 16 to 24 year olds with a learning difficulty or disability in each local authority area are not in education, employment or training.

David Laws: Local authorities in England collect information on the proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds NEET in their area, and identify those with a learning difficulty and/or disability. This information relates to young people known to local authority services and is not directly comparable with national NEET estimates published by the Department. Local authority information relating to the end of December 2012 is set out in the table.
	The Department has made an estimate of 18 to 24-year-olds who are likely to have Education Health and Care Plans, which is included in the Evidence of Impact it published this week in respect of the provisions in the Children and Families Bill relating to co-ordinated assessments and Education Health and Care Plans. This is available on the Bill page of the Department's website(1).
	(1)Note:
	www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/departmentalinformation/childrenandfamiliesbill/a00221161/children-families-bill
	
		
			 Proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds with a learning difficulty or disability who are NEET 
			  NEET (Percentage) 
			 South East  
			 Bracknell-Forest 13.2 
			 Brighton and Hove 14.1 
			 Buckinghamshire 9.6 
			 East Sussex 5.5 
			 Hampshire 11.2 
			 Isle of Wight 5.5 
			 Kent 14.5 
			 Medway 10.1 
			 Milton Keynes 11.6 
			 Oxfordshire 10.9 
			 Portsmouth 15.1 
			 Reading 18.3 
			 Slough 14.1 
			 Southampton 10.1 
			 Surrey 9.8 
			 West Berkshire 11.0 
			 West Sussex 6.6 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 8.1 
			 Wokingham 8.3 
			   
			 London  
			 Barking and Dagenham 6.7 
			 Barnet 8.4 
			 Bexley 8.2 
			 Brent 4.7 
			 Bromley 7.8 
			 Camden 19.7 
			 City of London 0.0 
			 Croydon 6.7 
			 Ealing 8.0 
			 Enfield 8.3 
			 Greenwich 13.1 
			 Hackney 13.4 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 7.4 
			 Haringey 5.6 
			 Harrow 6.4 
			 Havering 7.1 
			 Hillingdon 11.3 
			 Hounslow 11.2 
			 Islington 13.1 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 8.4 
			 Kingston 11.6 
			 Lambeth 14.1 
			 Lewisham 5.5 
			 Merton 7.1 
			 Newham 10.8 
			 Redbridge 7.0 
			 Richmond 9.2 
		
	
	
		
			 Southwark 11.2 
			 Sutton 8.1 
			 Tower Hamlets 9.5 
			 Waltham Forest 5.0 
			 Wandsworth 12.9 
			 Westminster 14.5 
			   
			 East of England  
			 Bedfordshire Borough 14.9 
			 Cambridgeshire 10.5 
			 Central Bedfordshire 8.5 
			 Essex 11.1 
			 Hertfordshire 10.1 
			 Luton 8.0 
			 Norfolk 11.2 
			 Peterborough 11.1 
			 Southend 0.0 
			 Suffolk 11.6 
			 Thurrock 11.9 
			   
			 South West  
			 Bath and NE Somerset 10.6 
			 Bournemouth 9.1 
			 Bristol 12.6 
			 Cornwall 9.9 
			 Devon 9.6 
			 Dorset 11.1 
			 Gloucestershire 12.6 
			 Isles of Scilly 0.0 
			 North Somerset 6.7 
			 Plymouth 14.4 
			 Poole 28.0 
			 Somerset 11.0 
			 South Gloucestershire 8.9 
			 Swindon 13.8 
			 Torbay 8.6 
			 Wiltshire 11.9 
			   
			 West Midlands  
			 Birmingham 10.0 
			 Coventry 9.6 
			 Dudley 5.6 
			 Herefordshire 10.7 
			 Sandwell 8.1 
			 Shropshire 8.9 
			 Solihull 12.0 
			 Staffordshire 10.0 
			 Stoke on Trent 15.4 
			 Telford and Wrekin 4,3 
			 Walsall 5.6 
			 Warwickshire 6.5 
			 Wolverhampton 9.6 
			 Worcestershire 9.9 
			   
			 East Midlands  
			 Derby City 11.8 
			 Derbyshire 10.7 
			 Leicester City 10.6 
		
	
	
		
			 Leicestershire County 5.4 
			 Lincolnshire 6.5 
			 Northamptonshire 0.7 
			 Nottingham 9.6 
			 Nottinghamshire . 2.6 
			 Rutland 3.9 
			   
			 Yorks and Humber  
			 Barnsley 10.3 
			 Bradford 11.7 
			 Calderdale 9.8 
			 Doncaster 3.8 
			 East Riding 0.0 
			 Kingston upon Hull 20.2 
			 Kirklees 13.0 
			 Leeds 13.9 
			 North East Lincolnshire 10.4 
			 North Lincolnshire 10.0 
			 North Yorkshire 8.1 
			 Rotherham 11.8 
			 Sheffield 0.0 
			 Wakefield 13.3 
			 York 15.3 
			   
			 North West  
			 Blackburn-Darwen 15.8 
			 Blackpool 10.5 
			 Bolton 10.2 
			 Bury 9.3 
			 Cheshire East 8.0 
			 Cheshire W and Chester 6.3 
			 Cumbria 9.7 
			 Halton 8.6 
			 Knowsley 15.3 
			 Lancashire County 10.6 
			 Liverpool 17.0 
			 Manchester 13.4 
			 Oldham 12.4 
			 Rochdale 11.0 
			 Salford 14.6 
			 Sefton 14.1 
			 St Helens 14.1 
			 Stockport 19.5 
			 Tameside 15.8 
			 Trafford 9.3 
			 Warrington 10.8 
			 Wigan 16.2 
			 Wirral 14.4 
			   
			 North East  
			 County Durham 17.6 
			 Darlington 13.7 
			 Gateshead 10.8 
			 Hartlepool 10.1 
			 Middlesbrough 22.4 
			 Newcastle Upon Tyne 22.3 
			 North Tyneside 10.6 
			 Northumberland 10.4 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 19.6 
			 South Tyneside 10.1 
		
	
	
		
			 Stockton-On-Tees 17.4 
			 Sunderland 12.3 
			 Source: CCIS, December 2012

TRANSPORT

Aviation: Wind Power

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many incidents there have been in the UK of wind turbines causing a flight safety hazard to air traffic controllers and aircraft.

Simon Burns: The Civil Aviation Authority, the UK's independent aviation safety regulator, has not received any mandatory occurrence reports relating to a flight safety hazard caused by a wind turbine.
	It is well established that wind turbines can degrade the quality of aviation radars. The aviation industry will object, therefore, to any wind turbine that may pose a risk to air safety, the maintenance of which is paramount.
	NATS, the UK's national en-route air traffic service provider, takes wind turbine development seriously and has a strong track record in being able to identify suitable mitigations—its success rate is about 95%.

Channel Tunnel Railway Line

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's latest calculation is of the return on investment per £1 spent on construction of High Speed 1.

Simon Burns: In 2001, the Department conducted an appraisal of the uncommitted costs of Section 2 and the associated benefits. The benefit/cost ratio on the then central case passenger revenue forecasts for Eurostar UK (produced in 2001) and excluding regeneration benefits and benefits from the future domestic high speed services was 1.4:1, and including regeneration benefits was 1.8:1.

Channel Tunnel Railway Line

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's expected return on investment was per £1 spent on the construction of High Speed 1 at the time of approval.

Simon Burns: The Department for Transport estimated in May 1998 that the Channel Tunnel Rail Link would deliver a benefit-cost ratio of 1.5 to 1.

Croydon Tramlink

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he last received a representation from the Mayor of London seeking funding for the extension of the Croydon Tramlink to Crystal Palace.

Stephen Hammond: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 7 March 2013, Official Report, column 1110W.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who provides hardware and software support for the IBM computing systems in the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency; and if this contract was obtained through competitive tendering.

Stephen Hammond: IBM provide the support and maintenance for their hardware and software at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. This work was outsourced through an open competition.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the average time taken by the Medical Group in the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to decide on cases referred to it in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Stephen Hammond: The information requested is not held. The time taken for a driving licence to be issued where medical investigations are necessary varies depending on the complexity of the case. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency categorises cases as simple and complex, with those that require further medical information considered as complex.
	The Secretary of State for Transport has set targets for dealing with applications involving medical conditions. These are to complete 90% of simple cases within 15 working days and 88% of complex cases within 90 working days. The following table shows the achievement against target for the last five financial years.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  Simple cases Complex cases 
			  To conclude 88% of cases in 15 working days To conclude 85% in 90 working days 
			 2007-08 95.6 91.4 
			 2008-09 95.8 92.7 
			 2009-10 94.2 92.4 
			 2010-11 96.3 91.0 
			 2011-12 96.6 90.7

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many cases are outstanding at the Medical Group in the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: On 14 March the Medical Group at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency had 92,556 open cases. Of these cases 45% or 41,650 cases are awaiting responses from third parties such as GPs, consultants and opticians.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department (a) generally and (b) with respect to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency of the decision by IBM to provide only firmware access to organisations with a support contract with IBM.

Stephen Hammond: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is aware of the long-standing requirement by IBM for organisations providing support and maintenance to have an agreement in place with them. Following a review only one contract was identified and options to ensure ongoing support are currently being considered.

Annual Leave

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies qualify for privilege days; and what the total cost to the public purse was of the number of privilege days utilised each year by such officials.

Norman Baker: The number of officials as at the 31 January 2013 in (a) the Department for Transport and (b) each of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies who qualify for privilege days is set out in the table below:
	
		
			  Number 
			 Department for Transport (Centre) 1,761 
			 Driving Standards Agency 2,460 
			 Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency 6,357 
			 Highways Agency 3,352 
			 Maritime & Coastguard Agency 1,096 
			 Vehicle Certification Agency 157 
			 Vehicle & Operator Services Agency 2,255 
			 Northern Lighthouse Board 207 
			 Trinity House 197 
		
	
	Staff in the Department's other non-departmental public bodies do not qualify.
	A calculation of the total cost to the public purse of the privilege days utilised each year by the Department's staff and those in its agencies and non-departmental public bodies could only be made at disproportionate cost.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to advise motorists of their responsibilities in relation to the removal of factory-fitted diesel particulate filters from vehicles and subsequent driving of those vehicles on the public highway.

Stephen Hammond: The Department regularly responds to inquiries from motorists (and repairers) with advice on this matter. Since obvious defects or missing components in the emission control systems of cars are MOT failure points, similar advice should be available as a matter of course for vehicle repairers.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the incidence of removal of factory-fitted diesel particulate filters from vehicles.

Stephen Hammond: The Department has made no specific study of the incidence of diesel particulate filter removal. About 5% of MOT failures, fall under the category of “fuel and exhaust systems”. However, it is not possible to determine what proportion of those are due to modifications to the exhaust system.

Railways: Franchises

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passenger rail franchises have been tendered by his Department since 2005; and what the total cost to (a) his Department and (b) the bidders was in each case.

Simon Burns: The Department has issued 10 Invitations to Tender for passenger rail franchises since 2005.
	The Department has not been able to capture precise historic costs by franchise and tendering of rail services.
	In the past, when a rail service has been tendered, permanent staff members have been seconded to work on this project for its duration and return to other duties following its completion. These members of staff came from many parts of the Department (e.g. Procurement, Rail Commercial, Franchise Specification, Legal, and Finance) and their costs were captured within their substantive areas of work and have not been separated by project.
	The Department has captured its internal and external costs incurred on the Intercity West Coast procurement competition. These were published on 7 December 2012 by the National Audit Office (NAO) in their report on the termination of this procurement competition.
	The Department does not capture bidders' costs. With regards to reimbursing bid costs for the Intercity West Coast procurement competition, discussions with bidders are ongoing. When final agreements have been reached the Department will be transparent about the outcome.

Railways: Industrial Disputes

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been paid, and on what dates, through (a) his Department, (b) Network Rail and (c) the Office of Rail Regulation to individual train operating companies in respect of compensation for loss of revenue during industrial disputes in each year since 2004-05.

Norman Baker: The Secretary of State has discretion to reimburse or ameliorate net losses of a franchised rail operator arising from industrial action, where he or she is satisfied that the franchisee has taken all reasonable steps to mitigate its effects. In 2004-05 payments totalling £844,061 were made by the Strategic Rail Authority to a number of operators. In 2006-07 a further payment was made by the Department to a single operator. As explained in the answer given to the hon. Member by the then Minister of State, the right hon. Member for Chipping Barnet (Mrs Villiers), on 17 February 2011, Official Report, column 969W, the Department for Transport takes the view that the details of this case should remain commercially confidential as their release would enable identification of the individual payment and operator concerned. No payments have been made since 2006-07.
	The Department is not aware of any provision under which either Network Rail or the Office of Rail Regulation would pay compensation to train operators specifically for loss of revenue arising from industrial action, and is not aware of any such payments being made. However, in the event that industrial action by Network Rail staff prevented an operator from running services, Network Rail may be required to make payments to the operator under the terms of Schedules 4 or 8 of the operator's Track Access Agreement. Any such payments would be a commercially confidential matter for the industry parties concerned.

Roads: East Sussex

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what the most recent cost-benefit analysis is of the Bexhill-Hastings Link Road;
	(2)  how many jobs he estimates will be created by the Bexhill-Hastings Link Road;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the potential for increased traffic congestion as a result of the new Bexhill-Hastings Link Road;
	(4)  what his Department's most recent value for money estimate is of the Bexhill-Hastings Link Road;
	(5)  whether the value for money estimate for the Bexhill-Hastings Link Road is dependent on the economic merit of the potential development and regeneration of the surrounding area of north east Bexhill.

Norman Baker: The Department is currently assessing the final funding application from East Sussex county council, submitted in December 2012, and this work is not yet complete.
	In March 2012 the Department published its detailed assessment of the Council's "best and final" bid application for Programme Entry status (provisional funding approval). This included an assessment of the cost benefit analysis and value for money of the scheme; number of jobs created; and the potential impact of the scheme on traffic congestion.
	The assessment is available on the Department's website at the following link:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121025123854/http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/local-authority-major-transport-schemes/bexhill-hastings-assessment.pdf

Shipping: Exhaust Emissions

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the report by AMEC produced for the UK Chamber of Shipping in March 2013, what assessment he has made of the effect on (a) employment and (b) freight in the short sea shipping sector of the UK shipping industry complying with the provisions of MARPOL Annex VI.

Stephen Hammond: The Department welcomes the report commissioned by the Chamber of Shipping and I will ensure that we will consider its findings carefully. The evidence about the impact on employment and freight operations from this and other relevant studies will be incorporated into the Department's Impact Assessment on the new sulphur requirements, which will be published later this year. Our assessment will also consider the economic cost to the UK as well as the benefits in terms of improved public health and reduced damage to the environment.

Shipping: Exhaust Emissions

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2012, Official Report, column 643W, on shipping: pollution, if he will publish a detailed assessment of the effect on employment levels for seafarers of the UK shipping industry's compliance with Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 17 December 2012, Official Report, column 548W, on shipping: exhaust emissions, when he plans to respond to the findings of the report commissioned by the Chamber of Shipping to study the economic and social impacts of MARPOL Annex VI; what other reports into MARPOL Annex VI were commissioned by attendees of the roundtable discussion on 22 October 2012; and when he last discussed the provisions of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships with officials from trades unions that represent UK seafarers.

Stephen Hammond: The Chamber of Shipping has recently published a study which includes an assessment about the impact on employment of the new sulphur limits. I will ensure that we consider its findings carefully.
	The evidence about employment from this and other relevant studies will be incorporated into the Department's impact assessment on the new sulphur requirements, which will be published later this year. Our assessment will consider the economic cost to the UK as well as the benefits in terms of improved public health and reduced damage to the environment.
	In addition to the study commissioned by the Chamber, representatives from the freight and the ports industries also indicated during the round table discussion that they had been gathering evidence on the impact of the new sulphur requirements for their members.
	Whereas I have not discussed the provisions of the MARPOL convention with the trade unions, I would be happy to discuss any concerns that seafarers may have about the new limits with their representatives.

Shipping: Liquefied Natural Gas

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of vessels of over 500 gross tonnage registered under the UK flag can be fuelled by liquefied natural gas.

Stephen Hammond: Currently, there are no vessels over 500 gross tonnage registered under the UK flag that can be fuelled by liquefied natural gas.
	For an existing vessel to be capable of using liquefied natural gas as fuel, major modifications to the fuel system and engines will be required.
	Internationally, new vessels are being designed and built to operate on liquefied natural gas fuel, which incorporate the special fuel storage requirements and engines but, as far as we are aware, currently there are no such vessels intended to be registered under the UK flag.

Shipping: Qualifications

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many employees in his Department hold the qualification of Navigation (Deck) Officer or its equivalent.

Stephen Hammond: The requested information is not held centrally.

Shipping: Training

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to introduce a Certificate of Competency to meet the requirements of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers for officers on workboats under 500 gross tonnage.

Stephen Hammond: I fully support the introduction of the new Certificate of Competency for Masters of Workboats less than 500 GT. After listening to representation from industry about the importance of this situation I have made extra resources available to expedite the necessary regulatory procedures.

Shipping: Training

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on the number of available places and the quality of training of cadets on UK flagged ships.

Stephen Hammond: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is in regular contact with the shipping industry through the sponsoring companies (Training Providers) within the Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) scheme. Feedback demonstrates that there is a shortage of berths for cadets on board UK flagged vessels.
	The guidance for training arrangements under SMarT is frequently reviewed by the MCA. The Agency liaises with MaTSU, the independent administrators of the scheme, who conduct regular audits of the training providers to ensure they are in compliance with the scheme's requirements.
	The responsibility of the training providers, regarding the support of shipboard training is specifically covered in Marine Guidance Note 455 section 10. There should not be a problem with shipboard training provided that these requirements are complied with.

Sickness Absence

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many days (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies has lost to staff sickness in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the cost of such absence in each year;
	(2)  how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies have had (i) fewer than five days, (ii) five to 10 days, (iii) 10 to 15 days, (iv) 15 to 20 days, (v) 20 to 25 days, (vi) 25 to 50 days, (vii) 50 to 75 days, (viii) 75 to 100 days, (ix) 100 to 150 days, (x) 150 to 200 days, (xi) more than 200 days, (xii) more than three months, (xiii) more than six months and (xiv) more than one year on paid sick leave (A) consecutively and (B) in total in each of the last five years.

Norman Baker: The following table shows the number of days lost to staff sickness for the Central Department, and its six Executive Agencies in each of the last five years.
	
		
			  Days lost—short term (less than 21 working days) Days lost—long term (more than 21 working days) Total days lost Average working days lost 
			 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2008 76,647.24 94,965.55 171,612.79 8.9 
			 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2009 70,681.5 83,310.9 153,992.4 8.1 
			 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2010 66,599.75 79,633.67 146,233.42 7.9 
			 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2011 60,856.66 72,497.41 133,354.07 7.7 
			 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2012 53,853.33 75,308.32 129,161.65 7.7 
		
	
	The information is taken from annual sickness absence returns to the Cabinet Office. Data below this level, as requested by my hon. Friend, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	This following table shows the total number of days lost to sickness for the Department's Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) in each of the last five financial years. Data below this level could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Time period—financial year Total days lost (12 month period). 
			 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008 2,117 
			 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009 4,912 
			 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 3,945 
			 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 5,106 
			 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 5,726 
		
	
	The table contains sickness absence data from:- British Transport Police Authority; Trinity House; Northern Lighthouse Board; High Speed 2 (established 2009); Passenger Focus; Directly Operated Railways (established July 2009); Railway Heritage Committee.

Termination of Employment

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies have left that body due to (i) resignation, (ii) retirement, (iii) redundancy, (iv) transferral to another public sector post and (v) another reason in each of the last five years.

Norman Baker: The first table below shows the number of officials in the Central Department and its six Executive Agencies that left due to (i) resignation, (ii) retirement, (iii) redundancy, (iv) transferral to another public sector post and (v) another reason in each of the last five years.
	
		
			 Calendar Year Resignation Retirement Redundancy Transferral to another public sector post Another reason Total 
			 01/01/08-31/12/09 892 398 111 141 931 2473 
			 01/01/09-31/12/09 449 335 18 130 684 1616 
			 01/01/10-31/12/10 391 393 176 71 445 1476 
			 01/01/11-31/12/11 396 260 332 118 367 1473 
			 01/01/12-31/12/12 379 252 140 205 189 1165 
		
	
	The second table shows the relevant number of officials in the each of its non-departmental public bodies.
	
		
			 Financial Year Resignation Retirement Redundancy Transferral to another public sector post Another reason Total 
			 2008/2009 15 5 16 0 12 48 
			 2009/2010 15 11 6 0 10 42 
			 2010/2011 67 9 9 0 8 93 
			 2011/2012 20 16 38 0 8 82 
			 2012/2013 14 8 12 0 9 43

West Coast Railway line

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations his Department has received on the Blackpool to London West Coast Mainline train stopping at Kirkham; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Transport announced to the House on 6 December 2012 that he wanted to see improvements to Intercity West Coast services, including the introduction of new services from London to Blackpool North, which would call at Kirkham and Wesham. This announcement was welcomed. A letter of support was received in December 2012 for the proposed introduction of the London Euston to Blackpool North service from the hon. member for Lancaster and Fleetwood (Eric Ollerenshaw).

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what training his Department is giving to Afghan National Security Forces; and whether that training incorporates an understanding of women's rights.

Alistair Burt: The full participation of women in all aspects of Afghan society is fundamental to securing a stable and prosperous future Afghanistan and the UK has been forthright in its promotion.
	UK training to the Afghan National Security Forces is delivered as part of the NATO training mission. Respect for human rights is always a component in this training and when UK military and police personnel are mentoring their Afghan colleagues. UK police officers working in the European Union Police Mission Afghanistan (EUPOL) developed and support the delivery of a Prevention of Violence Against Women course. Our £7.1 million assistance to the Ministry of the Interior goes in part towards helping to improve the Afghan National Police's role in protecting and upholding women's rights. It also supports the development of Afghan policy on promoting human rights and protecting women from violence.
	We regularly raise the protection and promotion of women's rights with the Afghanistan Government and wider Afghan authorities. For example, during her visit to Afghanistan earlier this month the Senior Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Warsi, met policewomen in Helmand to discuss women's vital contribution to building peace and security in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support his Department is giving to the Afghan Government to develop and appropriately staff family response units.

Alistair Burt: The UK supports the development of the Afghan National Police through EUPOL, the European Police Mission. Improving the capability of the Afghan police is fundamental to the success of the international coalition's mission and EUPOL plays a central role in that work.
	On 11 March this year, EUPOL signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Afghan Ministry of the Interior and United Nations development programme on enhancing the capacity of the family response units, which play an important role in investigating cases of domestic violence. The MOU will form the basis of a new training package for female police officers, prosecutors and members of the legal community. The initial training programme is due to take place between March and May this year.
	Additionally, our £7.1 million assistance to the Ministry of Interior includes a strong focus on developing Afghan policy on promoting human rights in the security sector and protecting women from violence. We provide significant funding to the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission to ensure it can act to protect women human rights defenders, investigate and catalogue violence against women, and support those seeking justice.

Afghanistan

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to support the Afghan Government to implement a law on the elimination of violence against women.

Alistair Burt: Tackling violence against women is fundamental to upholding basic human rights and to supporting women playing a full part in the development of a stable and secure Afghanistan, and the UK regularly raises this issue with the Government of Afghanistan. For example, during her visit to Afghanistan earlier this month the Senior Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Warsi discussed women's rights with the Afghan Foreign Minister Rassoul, leading female parliamentarians and other Government and civil society representatives.
	Implementation of the Afghan Elimination of Violence Against Women Law (EVAW) was specifically included in the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework (TMAF), the partnership between the Afghan Government and the international community. We, along with our international partners, will hold the Afghan Government to account for the commitments they have made. In Kabul, the Gender Donor Coordination Group (led by UN Women) and the Civil Society Support Group (led by UNAMA) are currently considering how the TMAF recommendations should be taken forward. The UK is represented on both groups.
	We also encourage the Afghan Government to monitor the use of the EVAW law by police and prosecutors across the country to ensure it is used in all applicable cases. Our £7.1 million assistance to the Ministry of Interior includes a strong focus on developing Afghan policy on promoting human rights in the security sector and protecting women from violence. We provide significant funding to the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission to ensure it can act to protect women human rights defenders, investigate and catalogue violence against women, and support those seeking justice.
	Through the Tawanmandi project the UK provides grants for Afghan women's organisations to advocate full implementation of EVAW law among judges, prosecutors and police; to provide support for victims of violence; to engage with the Government of Afghanistan and to hold them to account. UK funding for this project will continue into 2016.

Afghanistan

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans his Department has to prioritise women's rights and violence against women in its operations in Afghanistan.

Alistair Burt: Human rights, including women's rights, are essential to and indivisible from the UK's foreign policy priorities. Tackling violence and discrimination against women is an important part of our work in Afghanistan and is fundamental to upholding basic human rights and to supporting the role of women in securing a stable and prosperous future Afghanistan. We regularly raise this issue with the Government of Afghanistan and wider Afghan authorities and will continue to do so. For example, during her visit to Helmand and Kabul earlier this month the Senior Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Warsi discussed the vital role of women in Afghanistan with the Foreign Minister Rassoul, leading female parliamentarians and other Government and civil society representatives.
	We will continue to work closely with the Government of Afghanistan and wider Afghan authorities, international partners and local and international civil society organisations to improve the status of women in Afghanistan, so that they can play a full role in a future, peaceful Afghanistan.

Anti-Semitism

Michael Ellis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of trends in the level of anti-Semitism across the world.

David Lidington: We strongly condemn anti-Semitism anywhere that it occurs and our embassies and high commissions around the world monitor manifestations of it. We also promote policies to tackle anti-Semitism through a range of international organisations, and speak out regularly to condemn instances of violence and discrimination, as the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), did when he condemned the horrific murders of Jewish children and a teacher last year in France.
	The EU and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) reports in 2012, on anti-Semitism in the EU and hate crimes respectively, reached no clear conclusions about trends because of the lack of clear-cut data. Nevertheless we have been working through the OSCE and bilaterally to help other countries to collect hate crimes data drawing on the work of the Community Security Trust.

Bangladesh

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Bangladeshi authorities on the continued use of the death penalty in that country.

William Hague: The British Government continue to make clear our strong opposition to the application of the death penalty in all circumstances.
	The Senior Minister of State, my noble Friend, the right hon. Baroness Warsi, raised our absolute opposition to the death penalty in meetings with both the Bangladesh Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina and Bangladesh Foreign Minister, Dipu Moni, during her visit to Bangladesh of 18 February.
	We continue to work with EU partners in raising our absolute opposition to the death penalty. The EU ambassador démarched the Foreign Minister, on 6 March, about Bangladesh's use of the death penalty.

Bangladesh

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has sought assurances from the Bangladeshi Government that all possible steps are being taken to avoid further escalation of violence in that country.

William Hague: The British Government are very concerned about the violent protests in Bangladesh. We have called for restraint both publicly and privately with the Bangladesh Government. The Senior Minister of State, my noble Friend, the right hon. Baroness Warsi, issued a statement on 13 March expressing the UK's concerns over violence in Bangladesh and urged all sides to exercise restraint.
	Our high commissioner in Dhaka, Robert Gibson, released a statement on 3 March expressing sadness over the violence and the deaths that have taken place across Bangladesh recently and calling for all parties to exercise restraint, moderation and respect for the rule of law.
	In a meeting with the Bangladesh Foreign Minister, Dipu Moni, he called for the Bangladesh Government to ensure that a transparent investigation into the violence is conducted.
	We will continue to seek assurances from the Bangladeshi Government that all possible steps are being taken.

British Nationals Abroad: Hostage Taking

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British tourists abroad have been taken hostage by Islamist militants since 2001.

Alistair Burt: A very small number of British tourists abroad have been taken hostage by Islamist militants since 2001.

EU Budget

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measure of EU inflation his Department is using when establishing its negotiation position on the Multiannual Financial Framework 2014 to 2020.

Greg Clark: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Treasury.
	HM Treasury uses the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) measure of inflation, in line with the established practice in the EU, in the context of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2014 to 2020 negotiations. (The HICP assumption over the 2014 to 2020 period is 2% per year, consistent with the European Central Bank’s inflation target.)

European Commission

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to make proposals to increase the democratic accountability of European Commissioners to EU citizens.

David Lidington: The Government believe that it is important to increase democratic accountability in the EU in order to ensure that the Commission and the other EU institutions focus on tackling the real challenges faced by people around Europe. A more significant role for national Parliaments will be key to addressing the gap between the EU and its citizens.

Falkland Islands

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the result of the recent referendum in the Falkland Islands over the status of that territory.

Hugo Swire: The result of the recent referendum made clear that the overwhelming majority of the Falkland islanders want to retain the Islands' status as an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom. We welcome this result. As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), made clear in his written ministerial statement of 13 March 2013, Official Report, column 12WS, it is a clear, democratic expression of the islanders' wishes. The status of the Falkland Islands will never change unless and until the islanders so wish. The British Government will continue to safeguard their well-being and rights.

Falkland Islands

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of the recent referendum in the Falkland Islands on the UK's relations with Argentina.

Hugo Swire: This Government fully support the rights of the Falkland islanders to determine their own future. We have always been clear that the UK would like a full and friendly relationship with Argentina and we firmly believe that there is scope to co-operate with Argentina on a range of issues of mutual interest. We believe that all countries should accept the results of the referendum and support the Falkland islanders as they continue to develop their home and their economy.

Gibraltar

Michael Ellis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of incursions by the Spanish navy into Gibraltar’s territorial waters; and what steps he is taking to protect residents of that territory.

David Lidington: In 2012 the Royal Navy reported a total of 14 unlawful incursions within British Gibraltar territorial waters by vessels of the Spanish Navy. In 2013 there have been two such incursions up to 11 March.
	The Royal Navy challenges unlawful incursions by Spanish naval vessels and we also make formal diplomatic protests to the Spanish Government following all such incursions. On 15 November 2012 the Spanish ambassador was summoned to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office because of our serious concerns about incursions, including one by a Spanish naval vessel on 13 November which had lasted several hours. Although unlawful incursions by Spanish state vessels are a violation of UK sovereignty, they are not a threat to it. We continue to assert our sovereignty in response to incursions, using proportionate diplomatic and naval means.

Human Rights

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he (a) has appointed and (b) plans to appoint any parliamentary human rights envoys to countries identified by his Department as countries of concern in connection with their human rights records.

David Lidington: The Government have not appointed, nor do they plan to appoint, parliamentary human rights envoys to countries of concern. But we welcome parliamentary interest in our human rights work internationally, and the engagement of parliamentarians in countries and on issues of concern, including members of the All Parliamentary Party Groups on human rights, abolition of the death penalty, international corporate responsibility, and freedom of religion or belief.

Japan

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many cases of child abduction in which UK children are taken from their habitual residence by a parent to Japan have been reported to his Department in each of the last three years; if he will meet with his Japanese counterpart to discuss that country's ratification of the 1980 Hague Convention on Civil Aspects of Child Abduction; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: The Child Abduction Section at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office holds statistics on cases of international parental child abduction brought to its attention and where it has offered consular assistance to British nationals. In line with our obligations under the 1998 Data Protection Act, I am unable to provide an annual breakdown but I can confirm that the total number of child abduction cases to Japan recorded by the section from January 2010 to date is four.
	The Government lobby countries where there are a significant number of abduction cases, or where we have encountered specific problems, to sign the 1980 Hague convention on the civil aspects of international child abduction. I raised the issue of Japanese ratification of this convention during my visit there in January 2013. I hope that Japan will become a signatory to the convention in the coming months. We also sponsored a visit of experts on international child abduction to Japan, also in January. We will continue to seek appropriate opportunities to raise this important issue with the Japanese authorities.

Maldives

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will work towards the establishment of a Commonwealth oversight mechanism for the Maldives.

Alistair Burt: The decisive and timely engagement of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) in February 2012 has ensured continued oversight of Maldives since the transfer of power. In addition to CMAG, in March 2012 the Commonwealth Secretary-General also appointed Sir Donald McKinnon as Commonwealth Special Envoy to Maldives. Sir Donald most recently visited Maldives in January this year and I met with him in London on 1 March this year. He has been able to use his extensive experience to work with all parties and has recently spoken on the importance of moving forward to “free, fair, and inclusive elections” in Maldives. We welcome the Commonwealth's valuable work so far, and their ongoing activities to strengthen democracy in Maldives.

Maldives

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what representations he is making to ensure that Mohamed Nasheed, the former President of the Maldives, receives a free and fair trial;
	(2)  what reports he has received on the 24-hour detention of Mohamed Nasheed, the former President of the Maldives; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The Government understand that former President Nasheed was taken into custody on 5 March at 13:30 local time so that he could be presented at court on 6 March. Officials at our high commission in Colombo have spoken to Maldivian Democratic Party members and to Nasheed's lawyers; we understand that he was not mistreated during his detention. The former President has now been released following the hearing, and his trial has been postponed for four weeks. We look to the Maldivian authorities to ensure that due process is followed, and that proceedings are fair and transparent.
	I made a statement on 6 March following the detention of former President Nasheed expressing our keen interest in developments in Maldives and urging all parties to remain calm and to act responsibly.
	All parties should be able to contest elections with the candidate of their choice. If the chosen candidates of all parties are not permitted to participate in the presidential election, the credibility of the outcome will be irreparably damaged. We hope all involved will work together to find a solution which would allow for genuinely free, fair, and inclusive elections and ensure all are able to campaign without hindrance.

Middle East

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Palestinian Authority to rejoin direct peace talks with Israel without preconditions.

Alistair Burt: This is a point that we have underlined to the Palestinian Authority on a regular basis. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) also discussed these issues with President Abbas in advance of the recent Palestinian resolution at the UN General Assembly on 29 November.
	The British Government are clear that, ultimately, the way to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is through direct, credible negotiations between the parties. We continue to call on President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu to show the strong leadership needed to achieve progress towards a two-state solution, which will bring a just and permanent solution to this conflict.

Middle East

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Palestinian Authority following recent reports that President Abbas said that Zionism had links to Nazism before World War II during an interview with Lebanese news channel Al-Mayadeen.

Alistair Burt: We are aware of the interview given by President Abbas to Lebanese news channel Al-Mayadeen, and the British Consul General in Jerusalem discussed it with the President's office on 23 January. In the course of the interview President Abbas was asked about his 1982 PhD thesis. Besides confirming that he wrote the thesis he did not comment any further on it during the interview. We therefore did not see it necessary to make any representations on this occasion.

Middle East

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received that Palestinian Authority President Abbas intimated that Israel was trying to kill him during an interview with Lebanese news channel Al-Mayadeen.

Alistair Burt: We have seen media reports of President Abbas' recent interview with the Lebanese channel Al-Mayadeen.

Middle East

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received that Palestinian Authority President Abbas said that Zionism had links to Nazism before World War II during a recent interview with Lebanese news channel Al-Mayadeen.

Alistair Burt: We are aware of the interview given by President Abbas to Lebanese news channel Al-Mayadeen, and the British Consul General in Jerusalem discussed it with the President's office on 23 January. In the course of the interview President Abbas was asked about his 1982 PhD thesis. Besides confirming that he wrote the thesis he did not comment any further on it during the interview. We therefore did not see it necessary to make any representations on this occasion.

Middle East

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support his Department is providing to projects fostering co-existence between Israelis and Palestinians.

Alistair Burt: The Government recognise the importance of supporting constituencies committed to resolving the conflict peacefully, and to generate creative and positive dialogue at different levels between Israelis and Palestinians. We are currently developing our Conflict Pool programme portfolio for Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories for the financial year 2013-14, a key element of which will be projects that foster co-existence.

Occupied Territories

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the EU is seeking compensation for buildings built using EU aid which have been demolished by the Israeli authorities.

Alistair Burt: The EU has not to date sought compensation from Israel for demolition of EU-funded projects in the west bank. We understand that certain member states have considered seeking compensation for the destruction of projects they have funded bilaterally.

Palestinians

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effects that restrictions of movement and access in the West Bank have on the financial stability of the Palestinian authority.

Alistair Burt: The Government continue to assess that Israeli restrictions on movement and access in the west bank and Gaza are the single biggest obstacle to trade and economic development, and hence one of the most important causes of the current financial difficulties of the Palestinian Authority along with the withholding by Israel of customs revenues due to the Palestinian Authority. This is in line with the assessment of the World Bank's Economic Monitoring Report to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee on 19 March 2013.
	We continue to lobby the Israeli Government to ease their restrictions on movement and access and to transfer the customs revenues in a timely and predictable manner in accordance with their obligations under the Paris Protocol.

Syria

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Turkish counterpart on the ongoing civil unrest in Syria.

David Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) has regular discussions with the Turkish Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, about Syria, most recently on 8 March 2013. They discussed developments on the refugee situation, concerns over border security and support for the Syrian National Coalition (SNC). Turkey plays an important role in the group of countries, including the UK, who are most active in support of the national coalition.
	The UK’s objective for Syria remains an end to the violence and a political transition to a more democratic Syria.

Syria

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to his Russian and Chinese counterparts on seeking Security Council approval for UN agencies to operate in areas beyond the control of the Syrian regime.

Alistair Burt: We continue to engage with the UN and key international counterparts, including in Security Council consultations, to highlight the urgent need for increased humanitarian access in Syria in order for aid to get to all those who need it most. My noble Friend, the right hon. Baroness Amos, Emergency Relief Co-ordinator for the UN, regularly briefs the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Syria, most recently on 27 February. We have called on all parties to the conflict to reach an agreement that allows humanitarian workers full unfettered access to all people in need, without interference or threat of violence, and have called on Security Council members, including Russia and China, to encourage these parties to provide access. We have made formal representations to the Russians asking for their assistance, through the UN, to enable a cross-border humanitarian operation.

Syria

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the (a) existence, (b) nature and (c) magnitude of chemical weapons held by the Syrian Government.

Alistair Burt: Syria publicly admitted possessing chemical weapons on 23 July 2012. We believe that Syria holds a range of chemical warfare agents and has the ability to deliver them. As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) stated to the House on 6 March 2013, Official Report, column 962:
	“We are increasingly concerned about the regime's willingness to use these weapons. We have warned the Assad regime that the use of chemical weapons would lead to a serious response from the international community. Those who order the use of chemical weapons, and those who use them, will be held to account.”

Telephone Services

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) 0800, (b) 0808, (c) 0844, (d) 0845 and (e) 0870 telephone numbers for the public are in use by (i) his Department and (ii) the agencies for which he is responsible.

David Lidington: There are no public telephone numbers managed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) or FCO Services that use the prefixes mentioned by the hon. Member.
	The FCO Consular Travel Advice helpline was handled by a contracted company and was a national rate 0845 number, but this was discontinued on 22 February 2013.

Tibet

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that the people of Tibet have basic human rights.

Hugo Swire: I refer my hon. Friend to my previous answer of 14 January 2013, Official Report, column 544W, to the hon. Member for Bethnal Green and Bow (Rushanara Ali). We regularly raise our concerns about Tibet with the Chinese authorities, and we will continue to do so. I issued a statement on 17 December 2012 urging the Chinese authorities to exercise restraint and calling on Tibetans not to resort to extreme forms of protest such as self-immolation. Tibet was discussed at the last round of the annual UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in January 2012.

Tibet

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will work with his counterparts in other countries on developing a multilateral solution to the issue of Tibet.

Hugo Swire: We work closely with our international partners and multilateral organisations to encourage the resumption of meaningful dialogue between the Chinese authorities and the Dalai Lama or his representatives. We raised Tibet through the EU at the UN Human Rights Council in September 2012. Alongside the US, EU and Canada, I raised my concerns over self-immolations in Tibet in a statement on 17 December.

Tibet

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Chinese government to (a) protect the right to use the Tibetan language, (b) respect freedom of religion and (c) remove censorship in Tibet.

Hugo Swire: We regularly make representations to the Chinese authorities about our human rights concerns in Tibet. We did so most recently at senior level on 20 December 2012, and we will continue to do so.
	We raised the issues of the right to use the Tibetan language, respect for freedom of religion, and the removal of censorship in Tibet in detail in the last UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in January 2012. The next Dialogue will offer an opportunity for us to re-state these specific concerns. We are awaiting a positive response from the Chinese Government to our requests for a date for this next Dialogue.

Tibet

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on self-government for Tibet.

Hugo Swire: Our position on Tibet is clear and unchanged: we regard Tibet as part of the People's Republic of China. We believe a long-term solution depends on respect for human rights and genuine autonomy for Tibetans within the framework of the Chinese constitution.

Treaties

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when his Department last recorded concern relating to breaches of treaty obligations by the signatory parties in respect of the Agreement between Great Britain and Colombia extending the Extradition Treaty of 27 October 1888 to Bechuanaland Protectorate, East Africa Protectorate, Gambia Protectorate, North East Rhodesia, North West Rhodesia, North Nigeria, Northern Territories of the Gold Coast, Nyasaland, Sierra Leone Protectorate, South Nigeria Protectorate, South Rhodesia, Swaziland and the Uganda Protectorate; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the relevant documentation.

David Lidington: The several thousand “live” treaties to which the UK is party play a crucial role in governing the UK's place in the world and its relations with other states, to the benefit of all its people. Such treaties include extradition, mutual legal assistance, military cooperation, double taxation, tax information exchange, and aviation treaties, to name but a few. They also include the founding treaties of international organisations, such as the EU and NATO. In the event of Scottish independence, the remainder of the UK would continue as a party to these treaties, while the new independent Scottish state would have to go through a process of becoming a party to (or confirming its participation in) however many of those treaties it wished to join.
	Some of the 14,000 treaties on the FCO Treaties Online database are either no longer in force, or are no longer in force for the UK because they were concluded by the United Kingdom on behalf of a former colonial territory. The treaty referred to in the question is likely to fall into one of these categories, although its current status could not be confirmed without further research which could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Vatican

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to seek amendments to the Lateran treaty; and if he will make a statement. [R]

David Lidington: The Lateran treaty agreements provided for the mutual recognition of the Kingdom (later the Republic) of Italy and the Holy See. The UK is not a party to those agreements, and as such any amendments to the treaty would be a matter for the Holy See and the Republic of Italy.

Vatican

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings HM ambassador to the Holy See has had with hon. Members since his appointment; what plans the ambassador has to hold meetings with hon. Members; and if he will make a statement. [R]

David Lidington: The UK ambassador to the Holy See has held a number of meetings with hon. Members, both in Rome and in London, since he presented his credentials in September 2011. This includes members of the All Party Parliamentary Group, who visited the Holy See in May 2012, and the Group of Ministers led by the Senior Minister of State, my noble Friend, the right hon. Baroness Warsi in February 2012. He will continue to meet hon. Members when convenient for both sides, and looks forward to welcoming the All Party Parliamentary Group to Rome later this year.

Vatican

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings HM ambassador to the Holy See had with Pope Benedict XVI since the ambassador's appointment; and if he will make a statement. [R]

David Lidington: The UK ambassador to the Holy See presented his credentials to Pope Benedict XVI in September 2011. He has attended meetings with Pope Benedict in the course of normal business, for example when accompanying official delegations or during formal events such as the Pope's new year message and greeting to the diplomatic corps.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Council Tax Benefit

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions he has had with local authorities on the effect on disabled people of changes to council tax benefit.

Don Foster: There have been no specific discussions with local authorities recently on the impact on disabled people. The design and assessment of local council tax support schemes, is the responsibility of local authorities.
	The Government are spending over £50 billion supporting disabled people. This is 2.4% of GDP compared to an EU average of 1.4%.

Business Premises: Fires

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse in terms of (a) effect on GDP, (b) lost tax revenue, (c) unemployment costs and (d) costs to fire and rescue services as a result of fires in industrial and commercial buildings in 2011.

Brandon Lewis: No estimate has been made of the cost to the public purse in terms of the effect on GDP, lost tax revenue, unemployment costs and costs to fire and rescue services as a result of fires in industrial and commercial buildings in 2011. Official statistics published on 13 March note that the number of fire incidents were down 37% on last year. Fires in non-residential buildings were down 23%.

Carbon Monoxide: Poisoning

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to support those organisations that aim to increase awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide.

Don Foster: The Department continues to support work to raise the awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide through its involvement in the cross-government group on gas safety and carbon monoxide awareness. Additionally, the national Chimney Fire Safety Week co-ordinated by the Department's Fire Kills campaign provides a mechanism through which local fire and rescue authorities and the chimney and fuel sectors can instigate awareness raising activity. The campaign also informs local fire and rescue authorities of carbon monoxide initiatives undertaken by a variety of organisations and charities so they can consider local promotional activity.

Common Purpose

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 26 October 2009, Official Report, column 133W, on Common Purpose: finance, what the topics were of any Common Purpose training programmes provided for staff in his Department between 2000 and 2009; and if he will place any documentation relating to such courses in the Library;
	(2)  what ministerial oversight there was of funding spent on Common Purpose training programmes between 2000 and 2009.

Brandon Lewis: While noting that the Department under the last Administration spent £235,950 on Common Purpose, we do not hold further documentation.
	As has been the practice of previous and current Governments, Ministers do not have access to the papers of a previous Administration of a different political complexion, so I am unable to inform my hon. Friend of the degree of ministerial involvement or collaboration with Common Purpose under the last Government.
	In the interests of transparency, under this Administration, there has been one incidence of spending on Common Purpose, for training provided to a (now former) Permanent Secretary in July 2010. This was not authorised by Ministers.
	In ‘50 ways to save’, published in December 2012, Ministers recommended cancelling spending on Common Purpose as a practical way of saving money.

Elections

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the 2014 local elections will be held on the same day as the 2014 European elections.

Brandon Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 12 December 2012, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA228.

Fire Services

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has for parliamentary scrutiny of his plans for the future of fire and rescue services.

Brandon Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to my answers of 5 March 2013, Official Report, column 931W and 7 March 2013, Official Report, column 1121W, on supporting locally-led mutuals.
	There has previously been support from across the political spectrum for co-operatives and mutuals in local government, and I note that the Communities and Local Government Select Committee recently called on the Government to do more to help support the development of mutuals and co-operatives in local government (“Mutual and co-operative approaches to delivering local services”, HC 112, December 2012).
	Our work to support local mutuals and co-operatives follows a bid from Cleveland Fire Authority to set up a local employee-led mutual. I would add that the Labour councillor who is the local chairman of the Fire Authority has described the false claims of privatisation as ‘scaremongering' (Darlington and Stockton Times, 12 February 2013).
	Any potential legislative change to facilitate and support locally-led mutuals would entail parliamentary scrutiny, debate and passage in line with normal procedures.

Fire Services

Andrew McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place all the responses and related correspondence to his Department's consultation on fire mutuals in the Library.

Brandon Lewis: The responses and correspondence referred to deal with matters relating to the formulation of Government policy. It is not normal practice to publish such information while it is still being taken into account, and I consider it appropriate to maintain that in this case.
	Not withstanding, I refer the hon. Member to my answers of 5 March 2013, Official Report, column 931W, and 7 March 2013, Official Report, column 1121W, on supporting locally-led mutuals.

Fire Services

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average cost to a non-metropolitan fire brigade is of employing a firefighter.

Brandon Lewis: This information is not held centrally.

Green Belt

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent steps he has taken to increase the powers of local authorities to protect the green belt.

Eric Pickles: We have previously made absolutely clear that traveller sites are inappropriate development in the green belt.
	I can confirm to the House that we will be enabling councils to use Temporary Stop Notices to take swift and effective action against unauthorised caravans in the green belt and elsewhere.
	This builds on our earlier reforms to strengthen councils' enforcement powers, ensuring fair play throughout planning.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department intends to bring forward proposals to alter planning rules to permit wider development along the High Speed 2 route corridor.

Nicholas Boles: The Department for Transport have stated that it is their intention to introduce a hybrid Bill to facilitate the construction of the railway line which crosses multiple local authority areas. Previous Administrations used hybrid Bills to authorise the construction of Crossrail and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.
	But we have no plans to make any specific planning changes in respect of wider development along the High Speed 2 route corridor.

Housing: Sustainable Development

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment his Department has made of the use of bio-mimicry techniques to develop sustainable materials for use in the building construction sector.

Don Foster: My Department has made no such assessment.

Housing: Taxation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects local authorities to report to his Department the level set for the community infrastructure levy and the affordable housing levy.

Nicholas Boles: When local planning authorities choose to adopt the community infrastructure levy they must consult on their proposed rates and these rates are subject to an independent public examination. After the examination the full Council must approve the charging schedule.
	After the charging schedule is approved the charging authority publish it on its website and makes it available at its principal office and at such other places in its area as it consider appropriate. The charging authority must also give notice by local advertisement of the approval of the charging schedule, give notice to those persons who requested to be notified of the approval of the charging schedule that it has been approved, and send a copy to each of the relevant consenting authorities.
	Local planning authorities are not required to report their Community Infrastructure Levy rates, or their affordable housing requirements in Section 106 planning obligations, to the Government.

Sickness Absence

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies qualify for privilege days; and what the total cost to the public purse was of the number of privilege days utilised each year by such officials.

Brandon Lewis: In addition to annual leave allowance, all civil service staff are contractually entitled to two and a half days privilege holidays which are customarily taken on Maundy Thursday afternoon, the Queen's Birthday and an additional day at Christmas.
	As part of the civil service reform plan to deliver modern employment conditions for the civil service, the Department and its agencies are currently reviewing privilege leave entitlements (other than the Queen's Birthday).
	Based on current staffing levels, the estimated cost of privilege days for DCLG is £471,619, the Planning Inspectorate £173,357 and the QEII Conference Centre £18,731. In each case, that represents less than 1% of the respective pay bills.

Local Government Finance: Sefton

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to his answer of 4 March 2013, Official Report, column 783W, on local government finance: Sefton, whether the change in Sefton council's spending power between 2012-13 and 2013-14 represents a reduction in net government grant to that council of £43 million.

Brandon Lewis: I do not recognise the suggested £43 million figure. Numerical data on the Local Government Finance Settlement can be found online at:
	www.local.communities.gov.uk
	The reference to changes in net government grant does not reflect the fundamental changes in the funding of local government this year, moving away from reliance on central government grant funding to a scheme where local authorities have greater control over their income. From 2013-14, Formula Grant funding from central Government will be replaced by a system that enables local government as a whole to keep 50% of business rates, and the growth on that share. Revenue spending power reflects the broader sources of income available to each local authority, including from the business rates retention scheme, as well as from Revenue Support Grant and from council tax.

Local Government Services

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the additional cost of providing local authority services in sparsely populated areas.

Brandon Lewis: Our assessment was informed by evidence from a variety of sources, it included work to construct relative needs formulae over a number of years prior to the 2011-12 settlement and evidence from responses to the summer 2012 Technical Consultation on Business Rates and the statutory consultation on the 2013-14 Local Government Finance Report.

Local Government: Constituencies

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the (a) average, (b) smallest and (c) largest number of electors in (i) district wards and (ii) county electoral divisions is where the number of councillors is (A) one, (B) two and (C) three; and what the name is of each such ward and division.

Brandon Lewis: These are matters that are the responsibility of the independent Local Government Boundary Commission for England which is accountable through the Speakers Committee to this House. The Commission collect data on all electoral arrangements in English local authorities each year and will be able to provide information about these if requested.

Local Government: Constituencies

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on the alteration of local authority boundaries in order better to deliver the localism agenda.

Brandon Lewis: The Government believe that it is preferable for local authorities not to be distracted by boundary changes, but to focus on combining and sharing operations across boundaries on both front line service delivery and back office. Where all councils concerned believe a boundary change would be of genuine benefit, the Government will not stand in the way of their pursuing this, providing there is clear evidence of public support and the changes unambiguously would lead to greater value for money.

Local Government: Disclosure of Information

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward proposals to make his Department's Code of Recommended Practice for Local Authorities on Data Transparency legally enforceable; and what plans he has to enforce transparency of council car parking charges.

Brandon Lewis: We recently consulted on making the Code of Recommended Practice for Local Authorities on Data Transparency enforceable by regulations. The consultation included a proposal for more transparent data on parking charges and fines. We are now assessing responses received and will publish a government response in due course.

Localism Act 2011

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to collect data on the average number of referendums in each constituency as a result of the Localism Act 2011.

Nicholas Boles: Such referendums are a local matter and we have no plans to collect these data centrally.

Mutual Societies

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what comparative assessment he has made of the scope for additional (a) savings and (b) revenue which a fire brigade could generate from (i) spinning out from its parent body as a public service mutual and (ii) having an arm's length community interest company providing services to other public and private sector bodies.

Brandon Lewis: Any assessment of the additional savings and revenue generated by innovative delivery models will be a matter for the relevant fire and rescue authority to undertake. There is strong evidence from across a wide range of sectors that public service mutuals deliver significant benefits for their employees, service users and communities, and commissioners. These include higher staff and customer satisfaction, acting as engines for growth in their local communities and making savings.
	Employees at Cleveland Fire Brigade have already shown their entrepreneurial drive by setting up a social enterprise which provides fire prevention services to businesses and uses the profits to fund fire prevention work in the community. This has helped contribute to the number of fires in Cleveland falling well below the national average.

Non-domestic Rates

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will assess the potential effect on local bookshops of any increase in business rates.

Brandon Lewis: holding answer 14 March 2013
	Our commitment to hold business rates rises to the annual Retail Price Index cap means there has been no real terms increase in business rates since 1990. In addition, we have also postponed the revaluation of business premises from 2015 to 2017 to provide certainty and stability; doubled the level of Small Business Rate Relief for a further year (the whole of 2013-14); and given authorities powers to provide their own business rates discounts.

Planning Permission: Devon

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether (a) he and (b) any Ministers in his Department have had any discussions with Councillor Graham Brown of East Devon District Council about planning matters since May 2010.

Brandon Lewis: holding answer 14 March 2013
	No. I am not aware of any such discussions by Ministers.
	All representatives of the Department act in accordance with “Guidance on Planning Propriety Issues”, which is published at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/planning-propriety-issues-guidance
	More broadly, I refer the right hon. Member to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles'), letter to him of 12 March, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.

Right to Buy Scheme: Cumbria

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many tenants have participated in the Right to Buy scheme for social housing in (a) Barrow and Furness constituency, (b) South Lakeland and (c) Cumbria since 2 April 2012.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 13 March 2013
	Figures for local authority Right to Buy sales at local authority district level since April 2012 can be found in Live Table 691 on this page:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/right-to-buy-sales-in-england-2012-to-2013
	There were six Right to Buy sales by local authorities in Cumbria between 2012-13 Q1 and Q3. South Lakeland district council transferred their social housing stock at the end of the 2011-12 financial year. Figures are collected at local authority level and not available at parliamentary constituency level.

Termination of Employment

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies have left that body due to (i) resignation, (ii) retirement, (iii) redundancy, (iv) transferral to another public sector post and (v) another reason in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: The following numbers of staff have left my Department in each of the last five years:
	
		
			 Reason 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 (to date) 
			 Resignation 56 82 50 39 34 
			 Retirement 33 42 143 10 4 
			 Redundancy 15 6 18 336 175 
			 Transfer 102 102 31 185 80 
			 Other 43 69 54 10 5 
		
	
	Please note that figures on retirements and redundancies through 2010-12 reflect the completion of the Department's major programme of restructuring which has reduced headcount by 37% on a like-for-like basis with the October 2010 baseline position.
	Based on current estimates (which reflect accounting consequences from machinery of Government changes), the DCLG Group is reducing its annual running costs by 41% in real terms between 2010-11 and 2014-15. This equates to net savings of at least £532 million over this spending review period and includes savings of around £420 million from the closure of the Government Offices for the Regions.
	Figures for the Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies are not centrally held.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Carbon Monoxide: Alarms

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consideration his Department has given to amending Regulation 36 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 to oblige landlords to provide a carbon monoxide alarm in their properties.

Mark Hoban: The Government have no plans to amend the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 to oblige landlords to provide carbon monoxide alarms. Guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) strongly recommends the use of audible carbon monoxide alarms as a precautionary measure, but makes clear that they are not a substitute for the correct installation or maintenance of a gas appliance as required by the regulations.

Credit Unions

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what funding he has allocated to expand credit union coverage in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: Subject to the completion of contractual arrangements, DWP plans to make a further investment of up to £38 million in credit unions. Payments will be subject to the successful achievement of agreed targets and delivery as specified in a contract. A preferred supplier has been identified to deliver credit union expansion and we expect to make an announcement soon.

Disability Living Allowance

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the criteria is for the selection of people for reassessment of their disability living allowance ahead of a possible transfer to personal independent payment.

Esther McVey: Every disability living allowance claimant who is aged 16 to 64 on 8 April 2013, or who reaches age 16 after that date, will be invited to claim personal independence payment from October 2013 onwards. Most claimants will not be invited to claim personal independence payment until October 2015 onwards. Further information on the criteria for selection to claim personal independence payment and the timetable over which that is happening has been published in a Reassessments and Impacts briefing note, available on the Department's website at:
	www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/pip-reassessments-and-impacts.pdf

Disability Living Allowance: Greater Manchester

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people currently in receipt of disability living allowance are due to be assessed for personal independence payments in Stalybridge and Hyde constituency.

Esther McVey: The available information on personal independence payment is published in a reassessments and impacts briefing note. This can be found on the Department's website at:
	www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/pip-reassessments-and-impacts.pdf
	Information on current disability living allowance caseloads at a parliamentary constituency level can also be found on the Department's website at:
	http://83.244.183.180/100pc/tabtool.html

Electronic Government

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had in the last six months with (a) his ministerial colleagues and (b) key stakeholders on the challenges for services delivered by his Department posed by digital exclusion.

Mark Hoban: DWP has a responsibility to ensure services are accessible to everyone who is entitled to them. I am committed to ensuring that non-users of digital are not excluded when we have a digital by default approach. I have discussed with ministerial colleagues how we will achieve this. Additionally, my officials are working with the Government Digital Service, the Cabinet Office and a range of stakeholders to ensure that there is a cross government approach to digital exclusion.

Employment and Support Allowance

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claiming employment and support allowance had benefit sanctions applied in each month between October 2011 and the most recent date for which figures are available.

Mark Hoban: The information is not available.
	The sanctions regime for people on employment support allowance (ESA) in the Work Related Activity Group changed from the beginning of December 2012. As a result of the changes to the regime, the Department for Work and Pensions has reviewed its methodology for publishing ESA sanctions official statistics with a view to ensuring the publication remains relevant while also seeking to maintain a consistent time series.
	In comparing methodologies, an error was discovered in the current official statistics measure leading to double counting of some sanctions. For this reason, statisticians at the DWP have decided to suspend publication of ESA sanctions statistics based on the current method.
	The DWP will publish the first set of statistics for the new ESA sanctions regime in May 2013 alongside a revised historical series and a working paper explaining the differences between the methodologies.

Employment and Support Allowance: Worthing

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what proportion of calls to Worthing benefit centre regarding employment and support allowance were returned within the target of three hours in (a) July 2012, (b) August 2012, (c) September 2012, (d) October 2012, (e) November 2012, (f) December 2012, (g) January 2013 and (h) February 2013;
	(2)  what proportion of first payments of employment and support allowance by Worthing benefit centre were made within the target of 16 days in (a) July 2012, (b) August 2012, (c) September 2012, (d) October 2012, (e) November 2012, (f) December 2012, (g) January 2013 and (h) February 2013;
	(3)  pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2013, Official Report, column 886W, on Jobcentre Plus: Worthing, for which benefit Worthing benefit centre is failing to meet internal performance standards in (a) returning calls and (b) processing claims; and if he will provide the performance measure data for the standards achieved by the centre.

Mark Hoban: The following table gives performance data for employment support allowance at Worthing benefit centre for calls returned within three hours and new claims processed within 16 days.
	
		
			 Employment support allowance 2012-13 
			  Percentage of calls returned within 3 hours (target 95%) Percentage of claims processed within 16 days (target 85%) 
			 July 12.0 68.4 
			 August 17.6 62.3 
			 September 13.7 71.2 
			 October 17.5 53.6 
			 November 24.4 59.0 
			 December 36.8 63.9 
			 January 44.3 72.0 
			 February 78.0 82.2 
		
	
	Worthing benefit centre is not currently meeting internal performance standards for employment support allowance (ESA) on both calls returned and new claims processed.
	Due to the high volumes that have been experienced in this area of work at Worthing benefit centre performance has been impacted greatly. Support has been given by other areas of the department and is continuing, backlogs have now reduced and performance is recovering. Full recovery is expected over the next few months.

Employment Schemes

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department offers provision of training to jobseekers who cannot find work in their usual field of employment.

Mark Hoban: Jobcentre Plus advisers are able to offer claimants help which can include Skills Funding Agency (SFA) skills provision, job search support and access to the DWP-funded Flexible Support Fund (FSF). FSF may be used to procure provision to enable a claimant to either enter sustained employment or move closer to the labour market where no other suitable DWP contracted or non-contracted training is available.
	Advisers work with each claimant to judge which interventions will help them move into employment, at the most appropriate point in a claim, tailoring this to the individual need. Help can include being offered a place on a sector-based work academy which provides pre-employment training, and work experience in a sector with high volumes of current local vacancies.
	Long-term unemployed claimants can access the tailored, back to work support, on offer from the Work programme. This can include skills provision if the provider considers this an appropriate way of helping an individual into sustainable employment.

Habitual Residence Test

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the habitual residency test in relation to the lifting of transitional controls on Romanian and Bulgarian migrants in January 2014.

Mark Hoban: The Department has robust rules and guidance already in place and is currently looking at ways of further strengthening the habitual residence test.

Hostels: Females

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure continued funding for women's hostels after the introduction of the benefit cap;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to safeguard funding for women's aid refugees after the introduction of the benefit cap.

Mark Hoban: We have just amended the Benefit Cap (Housing Benefit) Regulations 2012 so that claimants who are staying in refuges or hostels that satisfy the definition of “exempt accommodation” in Housing Benefit legislation will have the support the Department provides for their rent fully disregarded in the benefit cap calculation.
	In other cases there will be transitional support available to families affected by the cap through Discretionary Housing Payments. We are providing additional funds of up to £65 million for this purpose in 2013-14, and up to a further £35 million in 2014-15.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received from housing associations and registered social landlords on the under-occupancy penalty.

Steve Webb: Ministerial colleagues, departmental officials and I have met with representatives from a range of organisations, including social housing providers, local authorities and housing associations to discuss various aspects of the Government's plans for welfare reform, including details of the removal of the spare room subsidy for social tenants.
	During the development of the measure to remove the spare room subsidy officials from both the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Communities and Local Government met with social landlord groups to discuss the emerging policy.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to inform social housing tenants affected by the under-occupation penalty of their potential entitlement to discretionary housing payments; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: It is for local authorities to administer and publicise discretionary housing payments. DWP has issued guidance to local authorities on how the scheme should be administered and that it should be widely publicised.
	The guidance also includes model letters and factsheets that local authorities have used to communicate how the size criteria should be applied in the social rented sector:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/a4-2012.pdf

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions of the 660,000 claimants identified in the impact assessment on the Housing Benefit Under-Occupation Penalty published by his Department on 28 June 2012, how many would need (a) one bedroom, (b) two bedrooms and (c) three or more bedrooms, in order to avoid the penalty.

Steve Webb: Of the estimated 660,000 claimants affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy in the social sector in 2013-14, the Department estimates around 380,000 will need one bedroom properties according to the size criteria and around 260,000 will need two bedroom properties. Sample sizes in the survey data used for this analysis are too small to derive reliable estimates of the number of claimants requiring three bedroom properties.
	Notes
	1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 20,000.
	2. Earlier, more approximate versions of these numbers were released in response to a freedom of information request (VTR611) in February 2013 for copies of any unpublished statistical background information on stock that described the impact on various claimant groups of the proposals to introduce the under-occupation penalty. The figures were originally prepared for short notice internal briefing to the Permanent Secretary, but we have since produced more reliable estimates, which we are giving in this reply.
	Source
	Policy Simulation Model, using 2009-10 reference data from the Family Resources Survey.

Housing Benefit: Wales

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what conclusions he has drawn from his Department's pilots of direct payments to tenants in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The Direct Payment Demonstration projects have provided and continue to provide much valuable live learning about how best to design that aspect of universal credit so that arrears are minimised and tenants take effective control of their budgets.
	To date, the learning has in particular influenced the design of Personal Budgeting Support, the Alternative Payment Process and the rent arrears trigger.

Income Support

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claiming income support have had benefits sanctions applied in each month between October 2011 and the most recent date for which figures are available.

Mark Hoban: The only group on income support subject to a conditionality regime enforced by sanctions are lone parents. The information requested is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Income support lone parent sanctions applied by month in Great Britain 
			  Number of sanctions 
			 October 2011 6,200 
			 November 2011 5,200 
			 December 2011 4,900 
			 January 2012 5,000 
			 February 2012 4,600 
			 March 2012 5,200 
			 April 2012 4,200 
			 May 2012 4,600 
			 June 2012 4,100 
		
	
	
		
			 July 2012 5,200 
			 August 2012 8,000 
			 September 2012 6,800 
			 October 2011 to September 2012 total 64,100 
			 Notes: 1. A lone parent claiming income support can be sanctioned for failure to attend or participate in mandatory work focused interviews (WFIs) without good cause. The benefit sanction remains in place until the lone parent attends and participates in a WFI. 2. Data to September 2012 is the latest available published information—see: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/is/lone_parent_regime/index.php?page=lone_parent_regime 3. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. Source: Income Support Computer System (ISCS) data

Independent Living Fund: Wales

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in each local authority in Wales have received payments from the Independent Living Fund to date.

Esther McVey: The total number of people in each local authority in Wales to have received payments from the ILF since it was created in 1988 are set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Number of people who have received ILF funding since 1988 in each local authority in Wales. 
			 Local authority Total per local authority 
			 Anglesey county 57 
			 Blaenau Gwent county borough 47 
			 Bridgend county borough 115 
			 Caerphilly county borough 98 
			 Cardiff county council 210 
			 Carmarthenshire county 270 
			 Ceredigion county 54 
			 Clwyd social services 6 
			 Conwy county borough council 119 
			 Denbighshire county 79 
			 Dyfed social services 1 
			 Flintshire county 151 
			 Gwent social services 1 
			 Gwynedd social services 159 
			 Merthyr Tydfil borough council 60 
			 Monmouthshire county 44 
			 Neath and Port Talbot county borough 113 
			 Newport City social services 100 
			 Pembrokeshire county 119 
			 Powys county 97 
			 Rhondda/Cynon/Taff county borough 219 
			 South Glamorgan 1 
			 Swansea county 146 
			 Torfaen county borough 112 
			 Vale of Glamorgan borough council 84 
			 Wrexham county borough 164 
			 Overall total 2,626 
			 Source: Independent Living Fund administrative data

Jobcentre Plus

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what penalties are imposed on a person who (a) misses (i) one and (ii) two adviser appointments at a jobcentre and (b) refuses to accept the offer of a job.

Mark Hoban: The penalty imposed on a JSA claimant who fails to attend an adviser interview without good reason will be a sanction of four weeks for the first failure and 13 weeks for a second or subsequent failures. For a JSA claimant refusing the offer of a job without good reason, the penalty is a sanction of 13 weeks for the first failure, followed by 26 weeks for a second failure within a year of the first, followed by 156 weeks for a third (or more) such failure(s) within a year of any previous failures.

Jobcentre Plus

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 11 March 2013, Official Report, column 102W, on Jobcentre Plus, in his discussions with Jobcentre Plus staff, what concerns were expressed by staff regarding the Government's changes to the welfare system; and what steps his Department is taking to address those concerns.

Mark Hoban: What our staff tell us is that they want to deliver an excellent service to the public and the current complex benefit system fails to support them in this. Universal credit will simplify the benefits system, making sure that people are always better off working than on benefits. A simpler benefit system will enable staff to deliver the excellent service to which they strive. In developing universal credit we have received helpful comments and suggestions from DWP staff which have enabled us to develop the rules, based on the experience of people who deal with customers and claimants every day.

Jobcentre Plus

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 11 March 2013, Official Report, column 102W, on Jobcentre Plus, how much his Department has spent on specialists in the run-up to the welfare reforms coming into force in April 2013.

Mark Hoban: As part of the roll-out of universal credit we have created the role of universal credit ambassadors. Universal credit ambassadors support colleagues with the culture and business change resulting from universal credit. The role is undertaken in addition to normal duties, and as such is covered through existing staffing allocations.

Jobcentre Plus

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will establish for Jobcentre Plus a contact telephone number that is a UK landline number beginning 01, 02 or 03;
	(2)  if he will establish for the Disability Living Allowance Unit and the Attendance Allowance Unit a contact telephone number that is a UK landline number beginning 01, 02 or 03.

Mark Hoban: The reason DWP uses non-geographical numbers (08) rather than geographical 01, 02 numbers is because DWP operates a virtual telephony network. Using non-geographical numbers enables calls to be routed to the next available advisor with the appropriate skills to answer the enquiry and best places DWP to meet customer demand. Moving to geographic numbers would undermine the ability of the business to effectively manage the significant volume of calls received each year.
	With regards to 03 numbers, DWP numbering policy is kept under review, taking account of any changes to the costs of calling non-geographic numbers. Depending on the service provider and the specific contract or call plan in place, many customers would currently pay more to contact DWP, if 0845 services were replaced with 03 numbers. As a result, any change to the policy will need careful consideration. DWP has responded to Ofcom's proposals for the 0845 number range and we await their final report in March 2013. Their proposals do not include any requirement for organisations to replace 0845 numbers. More information on this consultation, including the DWP response, is freely available via the Ofcom website.

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish a table showing the sanctions imposed by each benefit office on jobseeker's allowance claimants in each month since 2010.

Mark Hoban: This information is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
	Statistics showing the sanctions imposed on jobseeker's allowance claimants by each Jobcentre Plus Group area in each month since 2010 can be found at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool
	Guidance for users is available at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/quidance.pdf

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time taken is between the suspension of jobseeker's allowance and the determination of an appeal against that suspension in each (a) region and (b) constituent part of the UK.

Mark Hoban: This information is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Pensioners

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of pensioners in each of the last 10 years; and what estimate his Department has made of the number of pensioners in each of the next 15 years.

Steve Webb: Caseload statistics and forecasts for Great Britain by individual benefit, including state pension, are published and can be found at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/autumn_2012_211212.xls
	Table 1c provides historic caseloads and forecasts up to 2017-18, based on autumn statement forecasts.
	Projections of caseloads for United Kingdom to 2061-62, consistent with the autumn statement forecasts, can be found at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/adhoc_analysis/2013/ltp_pensioners_tables.xls

Poverty

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) part-time and (b) full-time work were living in poverty in each region of the UK in each year for which figures are available.

Mark Hoban: The following figures are provided from the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) dataset and provide data on part time and full time workers by region. Figures are presented as three-year averages to overcome volatility in estimates. Estimates are presented both Before and After Housing Costs.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of individuals working part time living in households with less than 60% of contemporary median income, by region and country, United Kingdom. Before Housing Costs 
			 Million 
			  Part time work 
			  1994-95 to 1996-97 1995-96 to 1997-98 1996-97 to 1998-99 1997-98 to 1999-2000 1998-99 to 2000-01 1999-2000 to 2001-02 2000-01 to 2002-03 2001-02 to 2003-04 
			 North East 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 North West and Merseyside 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Yorks and Humberside 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 . 0.1 0.1 
			 East Midlands 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 West Midlands 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Eastern 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 London 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 
			 South East 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 South West 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Wales 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Scotland 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Northern Ireland — — — — — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			 Million 
			  Part time work 
			  2002-03 to 2004-05 2003-04 to 2005-06 2004-05 to 2006-07 2005-06 to 2007-08 2006-07 to 2008-09 2007-08 to 2009-10 2008-09 to 2010-11 
			 North East 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 
			 North West and Merseyside 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 
			 Yorks and Humberside 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 East Midlands 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 West Midlands 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 
			 Eastern 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 London 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 
			 South East 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 
			 South West 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Wales 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Scotland 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Northern Ireland 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Number of individuals working full time living in households with less than 60% of contemporary median income, by region and country, United Kingdom. Before Housing Costs 
			 Million 
			  Full time work 
			  1994-95 to 1996-97 1995-96 to 1997-98 1996-97 to 1998-99 1997-98 to 1999-2000 1998-99 to 2000-01 1999-2000 to 2001-02 2000-01 to 2002-03 2001-02 to 2003-04 
			 North East 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 North West and Merseyside 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Yorks and Humberside 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 East Midlands 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 West Midlands 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Eastern 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 London 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 South East 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 South West 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Wales 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 Scotland 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Northern Ireland — — — — — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			 Million 
			  Full time work 
			  2002-03 to 2004-05 2003-04 to 2005-06 2004-05 to 2006-07 2005-06 to 2007-08 2006-07 to 2008-09 2007-08 to 2009-10 2008-09 to 2010-11 
			 North East 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0. 0.0 
			 North West and Merseyside 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Yorks and Humberside 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 East Midlands 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 West Midlands 0.1 0.1 . 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Eastern 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 London 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 South East 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 South West 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Wales 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 Scotland 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Northern Ireland 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 3: Number of individuals working part time living in households with less than 60% of contemporary median income, by region and country, United Kingdom. After Housing Costs 
			 Million 
			  Part time work 
			  1994-95 to 1996-97 1995-96 to 1997-98 1996-97 to 1998-99 1997-98 to 1999-2000 1998-99 to 2000-01 1999-2000 to 2001-02 2000-01 to 2002-03 2001-02 to 2003-04 
			 North East 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 North West and Merseyside 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 
			 Yorks and Humberside 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 East Midlands 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 West Midlands 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 
			 Eastern 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 London 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 
			 South East 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 
			 South West 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 
			 Wales 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Scotland 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Northern Ireland — — — — — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			 Million 
			  Part time work 
			  2002-03 to 2004-05 2003-04 to 2005-06 2004-05 to 2006-07 2005-06 to 2007-08 2006-07 to 2008-09 2007-08 to 2009-10 2008-09 to 2010-11 
			 North East 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 North West and Merseyside 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 
			 Yorks and Humberside 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 
			 East Midlands 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 West Midlands 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 
			 Eastern 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 
			 London 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.4 
			 South East 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 
			 South West 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 
			 Wales 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Scotland 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Northern Ireland 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 4: Number of individuals working full time living in households with less than 60% of contemporary median income, by region and country, United Kingdom. After Housing Cost 
			 Million 
			  Full time work 
			  1994-95 to 1996-97 1995-96 to 1997-98 1996-97 to 1998-99 1997-98 to 1999-2000 1998-99 to 2000-01 1999-2000 to 2001-02 2000-01 to 2002-03 2001-02 to 2003-04 
			 North East 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 North West and Merseyside 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
		
	
	
		
			 Yorks and Humberside 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 East Midlands 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 West Midlands 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Eastern 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 London 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 South East 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 South West 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Wales 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 Scotland 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Northern Ireland — — — — — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			 Million 
			  Full time work 
			  2002-03 to 2004-05 2003-04 to 2005-06 2004-05 to 2006-07 2005-06 to 2007-08 2006-07 to 2008-09 2007-08 to 2009-10 2008-09 to 2010-11 
			 North East 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 
			 North West and Merseyside 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Yorks and Humberside 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 East Midlands 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 West Midlands 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Eastern 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 London 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 
			 South East 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 South West 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Wales 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Scotland 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Northern Ireland 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data sourced from the 2010-11 Family Resources Survey (FRS). This uses disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 2. Net disposable incomes have been used to answer the question. This includes earnings from employment and self-employment, state support, income from occupational and private pensions, investment income and other sources. Income tax payments, national insurance contributions, council tax/domestic rates and some other payments are deducted from incomes. 3. Figures have been presented on a Before Housing Cost and an After Housing Cost basis. For Before Housing Costs, housing costs are not deducted from income, while for After Housing Costs they are. 4. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to a degree of uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 5. The reference period for HBAI figures is the financial year, three year averages have been sued to overcome volatility. 6. Numbers of individuals in each group have been rounded to the nearest 100,000. 7. Figures may not sum due to rounding. 8. Data for Northern Ireland has only been collected since 2002-03. Source: HBAI 1994-95 to 2010-11

Remploy

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many bids were received for the Remploy factory in Wigan; and what rent is now being paid by the Red Rock document scanning company;
	(2)  how many premises have been transferred to new social enterprises established by former Remploy workers;
	(3)  how many former Remploy staff have been transferred to other businesses under Transfer of Undertaking regulations to date.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not held by the Department, and the right hon. Member is advised that she should request this information from Remploy's company secretary. They can be contacted at:
	company.secretariat@Remploy.co.uk

Remploy

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many former Remploy workers are currently (a) in training, (b) in employment and (c) unemployed.

Esther McVey: 1,049 disabled former Remploy workers are choosing to work with our personal case workers to find another job. 287 jobs have been found for disabled former employees since they were made redundant. Currently 239 people are in work, including 90 who are participating in the Work Choice programme. A further 292 disabled former Remploy workers are on Work Choice undertaking training and other activities aimed at moving them closer to employment.
	Of the remaining 810 former Remploy workers, 608 are claiming jobseeker's allowance and 202 are claiming employment support allowance.

Remploy

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many former Remploy workers have received more than £10,000 to assist with the business planning for a new social enterprise.

Esther McVey: Remploy employees who submitted an Expression of Interest in Stage 1 were able to apply for up to £10,000 worth of expert advice and support to help them further develop their proposal.
	This offer of support recognises that employees may need some additional help in formulating their initial proposals and £10,000 is seen as a sufficient amount of money to support bidders in bringing in the necessary expertise to further develop their proposals.
	To date there have been nine successful applications for this support with spend totalling £50,000, though none of these have resulted in the development of social enterprises.

Social Fund: Greater Manchester

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Denton and Reddish constituency took out loans using the Social Fund in each of the last five years.

Steve Webb: The following table gives the number of people receiving loans from the Social Fund in the Chorlton Social Fund Budget Area in each of the financial years from 2007-08 to 2011-12. This is the Social Fund Budget Area covering the Denton and Reddish constituency. The information requested is not available at constituency level.
	
		
			 Loans made in the Chorlton Social Fund Budget Area from 2007-08 to 2011-12 
			  Number of people receiving Social Fund Loans 
			 2007-08 131,230 
			 2008-09 228,030 
			 2009-10 279,930 
			 2010-11 262,330 
			 2011-12 222,040 
			 Notes: 1. The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example, it does not include applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System. 2. Data on Social Fund loans is not held by parliamentary constituency but by Jobcentre Plus Social Fund Budget Area. The figures for the Chorlton Social Fund Budget Area cover areas other than Denton and Reddish. 3. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 4. These figures are the number of people who got at least one Crisis Loan or Budgeting Loan award from the Social Fund, not the number of applications or awards. Some people receive more than one award.

Social Security Benefits

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total spend on benefits for working-age people has been in each local authority area in each year since 1997.

Mark Hoban: The available expenditure for working-age benefits in each local authority area can be found at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/index.php?page=expenditure
	Information for earlier years could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Even if this information could have been provided, it could not be used for comparisons over time due to different data sources not being consistent with the data above.

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to put in place transitional arrangements in the case of a non-working family in receipt of benefits whose income is below the benefit cap, whose income is taken above the benefit cap on the birth of a child.

Mark Hoban: We are not making any specific arrangements for the situation where the cap applies for the first time because benefit levels have increased as a result of the birth of a child. However we are providing additional funds for discretionary housing payments to provide short-term relief for families affected by the benefit cap who may face a variety of challenges. The Government are providing up to £65 million for this purpose in 2013-14 and a further £35 million in 2014-15.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish a table showing the proportion of claimants who have been subject to benefit sanctions who are disabled between October 2011 and the latest date for which figures are available.

Mark Hoban: Statistics showing the proportion of jobseeker's allowance claimants who have been subject to benefit sanctions who are disabled between October 2011 and October 2012 can be found at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool
	Guidance for users is available at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/guidance.pdf
	Information is not available for employment and support allowance (ESA) claimants. The sanctions regime for people on ESA in the Work Related Activity Group changed from the beginning of December 2012. As a result of the changes to the regime, the Department for Work and Pensions has reviewed its methodology for publishing ESA sanctions official statistics with a view to ensuring the publication remains relevant while also seeking to maintain a consistent time series.
	In comparing methodologies, an error was discovered in the current official statistics measure leading to double counting of some sanctions. For this reason, statisticians at the DWP have decided to suspend publication of ESA sanctions statistics based on the current method. The DWP will publish the first set of statistics for the new ESA sanctions regime in May 2013 alongside a revised historical series and a working paper explaining the differences between the methodologies.
	Information is not readily available for income support claimants.

Social Security Benefits: Mental Illness

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will give the most recent data for the numbers of recipients of disability benefits on grounds of mental disorder by prevalence of mental disorder amongst them.

Esther McVey: The information requested is provided in the following tables:
	
		
			 Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance recipients by mental and behavioural disorder as at February 2012 
			  Number 
			 All mental and behavioural disorders 701,170 
			 Mood (affective disorders) 302,890 
			 Neurotic, stress related and somatoform disorders 146,410 
			 Schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders 57,190 
			 Mental and behavioural disorders due to psychoactive substance use 56,400 
			 Disorders of psychological development 51,310 
			 Mental retardation 47,230 
			 Unspecified mental disorder 33,520 
			 Behaviour syndromes associated with physiological disturbances and physical factors 2,930 
			 Disorders of adult personality and behaviour 2,900 
			 Organic, including symptomatic, mental disorders 390 
		
	
	
		
			 Employment support allowance recipients by mental and behavioural disorder as at February 2012 
			  Number 
			 All mental and behavioural disorders 425,840 
			 Mood (affective disorders) 215,510 
			 Neurotic, stress related and somatoform disorders 99,490 
			 Mental and behavioural disorders due to psychoactive substance use 40,440 
			 Unspecified mental disorder 25,860 
			 Disorders of psychological development 20,060 
			 Schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders 18,750 
			 Behaviour syndromes associated with physiological disturbances and physical factors 2,210 
			 Disorders of adult personality and behaviour 2,150 
			 Mental retardation 930 
			 Organic, including symptomatic, mental disorders 440 
			 Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 2. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment support allowance (ESA) from October 2008. 3. Causes of incapacity are based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, published by the World Health Organisation. 4. To qualify for incapacity benefit (IB), claimants have to undertake an assessment of incapacity for work called a personal capability assessment. Under the employment support allowance regime, new claimants have to undergo the work capability assessment. From April 2011 incapacity benefit recipients began also to undertake this assessment. The medical condition recorded on the claim form does not itself confer entitlement to incapacity benefit or employment support allowance. So, for example, a decision on entitlement for a customer claiming incapacity benefit on the basis of mental and behavioural disorders would be based on their ability to carry out the range of activities assessed by the personal/work capability assessment; or on the effects of any associated mental health problems. 5. Medical condition is based on evidence provided at the start of the claim, this in itself does not confer entitlement to IB/SDA or ESA and may not represent a claimant’s most recent medical condition. Please also note that where someone has more than one diagnosis or disabling condition, only the predominant one is currently recorded. Source: Information, Governance and Security Directorate, 100% WPLS 
		
	
	
		
			 Attendance allowance recipients (cases in payment) by mental and behavioural disorder as at August 2011 
			  Number 
			 All mental and behavioural disorders 1,980 
			 Learning difficulties 1,670 
			 Behavioural disorder 300 
			 Severely mentally impaired 10 
		
	
	
		
			 Disability living allowance recipients (cases in payment) by mental and behavioural disorder as at February 2012 
			  Number 
			 All mental and behavioural disorders 456,110 
			 Learning difficulties 398,660 
			 Behavioural disorder 40,070 
			 Severely mentally impaired 17,380 
			 Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 2. Figures show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and excludes people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 3. A diagnosed medical condition does not mean that someone is automatically entitled to AA or DLA. Entitlement is dependent on an assessment of how much help someone needs with personal care and/or mobility because of their disability. These statistics are only collected for administrative purposes. 4. Where more than one disability is present only the main disabling condition is recorded. 5. August 2011 are the latest data available for attendance allowance (cases in payment). Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate, 100% WPLS

Unemployment: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on marketing the wage incentive element of the Youth Contract to date.

Mark Hoban: To date, in financial year 2012-13, the Department has spent £82,182.85 (excluding VAT) on a pilot regional marketing campaign to promote all Youth Contract measures. The campaign encourages small employers to give young people an opportunity and includes information about the wage incentive. The marketing campaign includes regional radio and press advertising, e-mail marketing and local events.
	This expenditure supplements no-cost communications techniques which allowed us to extend the reach of our message, such as social media and working with partners such as the British Chambers of Commerce to disseminate our messages.
	The Department has spent £4,542 (excluding VAT) on marketing products which specifically promote the wage incentive and are distributed through Jobcentre Plus advisers. This comprises:
	a flyer for employers which highlights key messages and directs employers to a local contact.
	a self-marketing card for eligible 18 to 24-year-olds to promote the wage incentive to prospective employers. They will, for example, be encouraged to attach the card to a CV or leave it with an employer after an interview.

Universal Credit

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what work has been undertaken by his Department to assess the implications of the introduction of universal credit on (a) the two current statutory child maintenance schemes and (b) the newly-introduced statutory child maintenance scheme.

Steve Webb: There are two main implications:
	(i) The first which affects all three schemes is the collection of maintenance by direct deduction from state benefits. This will remain the case in the 2012 scheme and work is ongoing to align regulations, IT systems and procedures to allow this to continue to happen under universal credit.
	Once charging is introduced to the 2012 scheme, non- resident parents on benefits will be given the opportunity to make scheduled direct payments themselves, and only those parents who are unwilling to do so will have their payments deducted direct from benefits. This is an important part of the Government approach to encouraging parental responsibility. We are currently working on the detail of deductions from universal credit.
	(ii) The second affects only the 2003 and 2012 schemes. Receipt of certain benefits, that universal credit will replace, leads to maintenance being set at the flat rate in these schemes. We cannot simply put all universal credit recipients onto the flat rate as entitlement will extend to non-resident parents in work. We are currently developing the details of how to distinguish those universal credit recipients who should pay the flat rate from those who should be assessed on their income.
	Child maintenance payments are currently disregarded when calculating benefit entitlements, and the Government have no plans to change this.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what his most recent estimate is of the number of people who will be in receipt of universal credit on (a) 1 January 2014, (b) 1 July 2014, (c) 1 January 2015 and (d) 1 July 2015;
	(2)  whether he expects to commence new claims for (a) jobseekers' allowance and (b) working tax credit in (i) 2014, (ii) 2015, (iii) 2016 and (iv) 2017;
	(3)  whether he has a planned timescale for the introduction of universal credit; and from what date all new claims for benefits will be handled as universal credit applications from (a) applicants who are in work and (b) applicants who are out of work.

Mark Hoban: Claims to universal credit start in our Pathfinder from 29 April 2013. Pathfinder will focus on new single, unemployed people, with or without rented housing costs and will replace means tested jobseeker's allowance for this group of claimants. If these claimants then move into work, they will be eligible to claim universal credit, not working tax credit.
	Universal credit will then progressively roll-out in a managed way across the country from October 2013. This will ultimately include all claims from people both in and out of work, with everyone eventually claiming the new benefit by 2017.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many project assessment reviews have been conducted for the universal credit programme to date; and if he will place a copy of the most recent such review in the Library.

Mark Hoban: An integrated assurance and approvals plan (IAAP) is in place for universal credit. The IAAP determines the frequency of programme assessment reviews. Assurance reports are not routinely published. The next review point is planned for mid May.

Work Capability Assessment

Michael Ellis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of adults who have undertaken work capability assessments in (a) the UK and (b) Northamptonshire have been found to be capable of work.

Mark Hoban: Information on new employment and support allowance (ESA) claims in Great Britain is already published and can be found at:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca
	Table 2a of the above report presents the outcomes of initial functional assessments completed between October 2008 and August 2012, the latest data available, and table 2b presents the outcomes of repeat functional assessments completed during the same period.
	For initial functional assessments completed in Northamptonshire between October 2008 and August 2012 (the latest data available), 53% of claimants were assessed as fit for work. For repeat functional assessments completed in Northamptonshire during the same period, 27% of claimants were assessed as fit for work.
	Information on the reassessment of incapacity benefits claimants for ESA at a national and local authority level is already published and can be found at:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page =esa_ibr
	Table 1 of the above report presents monthly and quarterly breakdowns of outcomes in Great Britain, adjusted to account for the outcome of appeals that have been heard. Table 2 of the above report gives a breakdown by local authority for all incapacity benefits claimants that were referred for reassessment before the end of May 2012 (the latest data available). Please note that date of referral is used in the above report, whereas result date is used for initial and repeat WCAs for new ESA claims.

Work Programme

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the report from the Gingerbread charity into the Work programme and single parents; and if he will change the operation of the Work programme in response to the findings of this report.

Mark Hoban: The Gingerbread charity report made broad statements on the basis of a survey which interviewed only nine people who took part in the Work programme which is not a statistically significant sample size upon which to make such statements and therefore no firm conclusions can be drawn.
	We will continue to monitor how effective the Work programme is at supporting lone parents into employment and will consider the findings in due course.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Automation

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effects of automation on employment levels in the economy in the last 20 years.

Jo Swinson: The UK labour market is open and flexible with vacancies being created all the time. As certain sectors in the economy have evolved to make greater use of technology, the labour market has responded by diverting labour away from traditional sectors of the economy, such as manufacturing, into other areas such as services. This has allowed the growth and development of new economic sectors and an overall increase in both the productivity of the economy and employment. Employment, despite the difficult economic situation, is at its highest ever level.
	In order to benefit from technology and not damage employment we need to develop a market framework that enables opportunities to create growth and employment to be maximised.

Business

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the business activity index rates were for (a) the UK and (b) Wales in each of the last eight quarters.

Michael Fallon: Available private sector business output quarterly growth rates are given in the table for the UK and Wales for each of the last eight quarters.
	
		
			 Real quarterly growth rate 
			 Percentage 
			  Production Construction Market services 
			  UK Wales UK Wales UK Wales 
			 2010 Q4 0.1 0.3 -2.1 -4.5 -0.4 0.2 
			 2011 Q1 -0.1 1.9 0.1 3.9 0.7 0.9 
			 2011 Q2 -1.2 -3.3 1.3 1.2 0.3 1.9 
			 2011 Q3 -0.2 0.0 -0.1 1.5 1.0 1.7 
			 2011 Q4 -1.3 -3.7 0.2 -9.6 -0.4 -1.2 
			 2012 Q1 -0.3 3.8 -6.4 -9.8 0.3 2.7 
			 2012 Q2 -0.9 2.7 -2.8 2.8 -0.3 -0.5 
			 2012 Q3 0.7 2.1 -2.6 8.9 1.5 0.2 
			 Source: Welsh government output indicators produced by ONS

Business: North East

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of companies with their registered office address in the north east which were (a) newly incorporated and (b) dissolved in each year since 2001.

Michael Fallon: Companies House estimates that the numbers of companies with their registered office address in the north-east which were (a) newly incorporated and (b) dissolved in each year since 2001 were as follows.
	
		
			  Incorporated Dissolved 
			 2001 4,089 2,906 
			 2002 5,884 2,974 
			 2003 7,861 2,945 
			 2004 6,215 3,420 
			 2005 6,491 3,139 
			 2006 7,210 3,456 
			 2007 9,250 4,303 
			 2008 7,855 3,599 
			 2009 8,549 8,889 
			 2010 8,935 7,022 
			 2011 10,394 6,574 
			 2012 10,705 6,574 
			 2013 (To 14 March) 2,450 1,937 
		
	
	These figures are estimates because Companies House derives its figures from postcode areas, which can cross regional boundaries.

Community Development Finance Institutions

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding he has allocated to increase the level of lending to small and medium-sized enterprises by community development finance institutions; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The Government are supporting the community development finance institutions (CDFI) sector though the Regional Growth Fund. Among other bids, they are making a contribution of £30 million to facilitate £60 million of onward lending by CDFIs into small and medium-sized enterprises.
	In addition, changes to the Community Investment Tax Relief (CITR) scheme are due to come into effect from 1 April 2013. These changes will streamline the reporting and accreditation requirements for CDFIs, making it easier to use the scheme to raise further investment into the sector. Currently the scheme has raised £94.5 million of investment, enabling £95.3 million onward lending to small and medium-sized enterprises.

Construction: ICT

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of opportunities for the export of Building Information Management software.

Michael Fallon: In November 2012, the Government published the ‘Building Information Modelling—Industrial Strategy’ which outlines a number of growth opportunities generated from the success of the Government's programme to embed the use of Building Information Management (BIM) in all centrally procured public construction projects by 2016. The strategy underlines the need to put in place a clear approach to exploiting the UK's expertise on BIM to develop our international construction competitiveness. The strategy identifies ICT technology development and service provision as BIM-related opportunities for UK industry. BIS officials are working closely with the BIM Task Group and the BIM Technology Alliance on how best to assist with new market opportunities; in liaison with UKTI—which sees BIM as a central part of the UK sustainable construction offer.

Employment: Qualifications

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of working age adults who have no qualifications.

Matthew Hancock: In Quarter 4(1) 2010 2.4 million working age adults(2) (8.1%) in England held no qualifications. This estimate is derived with a methodology using a combination of Labour Force Survey data and administrative datasets.
	(1) Quarter 4 covers the period October to December
	(2) People aged 19 to 64 for men and 59 for women

Film: Festivals and Special Occasions

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much UK Trade and Industry has budgeted to fund film makers and businessmen to visit the Cannes Film Festival in 2013.

Michael Fallon: Although UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) is not supporting a national group of companies, some UKTI regional teams are planning to take small groups of businesses to the festival. Participating SMEs may be eligible for a financial grant of £200 through the Market Visit Support (MVS) facility. MVS support may also be available for individual SMEs visiting the festival on an independent basis.
	MVS is a trade development facility aimed at SMEs who are new to export or new to a particular market. The facility provides advice and financial assistance to companies visiting an overseas market either as part of an organised group, or independently.
	Companies new to exporting and signed up to UKTI's Passport to Export training and development programme can get up to £3,000 to support their international programme. They can use some of this to help with their visit to a trade fair such as the Cannes Film Festival.

Graduates: Equal Pay

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the recent work of the Higher Education Careers Service Unit, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons behind an apparent pay gap between male and female graduates.

David Willetts: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has recently received the analysis of the Higher Education Careers Service Unit (HECSU) Futuretrack data referred to in the question, and is examining the findings. Our initial assessment is that while it does indeed suggest that there is a pay gap between recent male and female graduates, the reasons behind this will be complex, and are not all explored fully in the HECSU analysis. For example, males and females tend to enter certain occupations and sectors in different proportions to each other and this can influence the level of earnings. Also, the subject breakdown used in the analysis is at quite a broad level; exploring pay differences by subjects/courses studied at a more detailed level may help to explain the observed differences.

Job Creation: Northamptonshire

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions Ministers or officials of his Department have had with Northamptonshire county council on job creation in Corby constituency and East Northamptonshire.

Michael Fallon: Officials have regular discussions with Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership, Northamptonshire's economic development company about issues in the area. The county council is a member and funder of the partnership.

Annual Leave

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies qualify for privilege days; and what the total cost to the public purse was of the number of privilege days utilised each year by such officials.

Jo Swinson: BIS has 3,036 employees (full-time equivalent as at 31 January 2013).
	All BIS employees are currently entitled to two and a half privilege days in addition to bank holidays and annual leave. The two and a half day entitlement is prorated for part-time employees.
	Privilege days are part of an individual's terms and conditions in the same way as annual leave. We do not employ additional people on those days and therefore there is no additional payroll cost.
	As part of Civil Service Reform BIS is looking at changing some terms and conditions, including privilege leave.
	Information regarding the Department's non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	I have approached the chief executives of the Department's Executive Agencies (Insolvency Service, Companies House, National Measurement Office, Intellectual Property Office, UK Space Agency, Ordnance Survey, Met Office, Land Registry and the Skills Funding Agency) and they will respond to my hon. Friend directly.
	Letter from Peter Mason, dated 15 March 2013
	I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office (NMO) to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 11 March 2013, asking the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills about the number of officials who qualify for privilege days; and the total cost to the public purse of the number of privilege days utilised each year by such officials.
	For the financial year 2010/11 the NMO employed an average of 68 FTE members of staff, all of whom were entitled to 2.5 privilege days a year, of which 1 is the Queen's birthday. The total cost of the privilege days was £22,407, of which £8,962.81 would be for the Queen's birthday.
	For the financial year 2011/12 the NMO employed an average of 66 FTE members of staff, all of whom were entitled to 2.5 privilege days a year, of which 1 is the Queen's birthday. The total cost of the privilege days was £21,834, of which £8,734 would be for the Queen's birthday.
	For the current financial year 2012/13 the forecast is that NMO will have employed an average of 63 FTE members of staff, all of whom were entitled to 2.5 privilege days a year, of which 1 is the Queen's birthday. The total cost of the privilege days is expected to be £21,959, of which £8,785 would be for the Queen's birthday.
	Note:
	This has been worked out based on the annual staff costs divided by the average number of staff, with costs attributable to 365 days a year. Costs include employer National Insurance and Pension costs.
	Letter from Ann Lewis, dated 7 March 2013
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 11 March 2013, to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, UIN 147730.
	The number of full time equivalent officials in Companies House who qualify for privilege days is 852. As Companies House is a Trading Fund all of its costs, including the total cost of privilege days, are met through the fees charged for its services. Therefore, there is no cost to the public purse.
	Letter from John Hirst, dated 13 March 2013
	I am replying on behalf of the Met Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 11 March 2013, UIN 147730 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	All Met Office staff qualify for privilege days as part of their terms and conditions of service. Full-time staff qualify for privilege days totalling 2.5 days per year, to be taken on specified days during the year. For part-time workers, privilege days are calculated as a proportion of their weekly hours worked.
	The cost of privilege days to which Met Office staff were entitled was in the order of £478k in 2010-11 and £469k in 2011-12, based on the total cost of remuneration during these periods.
	I hope this helps.
	Letter from John Alty, dated 13 March 2013
	I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 11th March 2013, to the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The Intellectual Property Office is an Executive Agency of BIS.
	All permanent staff qualify for privilege days and these figures are based on an assumption that all staff took all of them during the 5 year period, so are maximum values. As a trading fund, the IPO receives all its income from customers of the IP system.
	2008—(a) 1002 (b) £397,606
	2009—(a) 962 (b) £395,053
	2010—(a) 906 (b) £356,111
	2011—(a) 895 (b) 397,609
	2012—(a) 907 (b) 411,189
	Letter from Dr Vanessa Lawrence CB, dated 13 March 2013
	As Director General and Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey, I have been asked to reply to you in response to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills “how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies qualify for privilege days; and what the total cost to the public purse was of the number of privilege days utilised each year by such officials?”
	All Ordnance Survey's permanent staff qualify for privilege days, which are taken between Christmas and New Year when Ordnance Survey's offices are closed. Last year 1105 staff qualified and the value of days taken is estimated at £675,000.
	I hope this information is of use.
	Letter from Dr Richard Judge, dated 15 March 2013
	The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to your question asking how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies qualify for privilege days; and what the total cost to the public purse was of the number of privilege days utilised each year by such officials.
	For the 2010 calendar year, 2,826 staff in The Insolvency Service qualified for privilege days. It is estimated that the total cost of the number of privilege days utilised by officials during the year, excluding the Queen's birthday, was £355,948. The Queen's birthday privilege day is estimated to have cost £237,299.
	For the 2011 calendar year, 2,668 staff qualified for privilege days at an estimated cost, excluding the Queen's birthday, of £307,673. The Queen's birthday privilege day is estimated to have cost £205,115.
	For the 2012 calendar year, 2,167 staff qualified for privilege days at an estimated cost, excluding the Queen's birthday, of £281,591. The Queen's birthday privilege day is estimated to have cost £187,727.
	Privilege days are in addition to staff holiday entitlements.
	Letter from Malcolm Dawson, dated 13 March 2013
	I write on behalf of Land Registry in response to Parliamentary Question 147730 tabled on 11 March 2013 which asked the following:
	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies qualify for privilege days; and what the total cost to the public purse was of the number of privilege days utilised each year by such officials.
	Land Registry no longer has separate leave designated as privilege days; they have been incorporated into employees’ overall annual leave allowance.
	I hope you find this information useful.
	Letter from David Parker, dated 13 March 2013
	Thank you for your question addressed to the Secretary of State for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills asking how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies qualify for privilege days; and what the total cost to the public purse was of the number of privilege days utilised each year by such officials.
	The UK Space Agency became an Executive Agency of the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills on the 1st April 2011.
	In 2011-12, there were 31 members of staff employed during the year who would have been entitled to Privilege Days (depending on their start date). The total cost to the Agency was £15,079 (72 days were utilised).
	In 2012-13, there were 46 members of staff employed during the year who would have been entitled to Privilege Days (depending on their start and/or leave date). The total cost to the Agency was £20,151 (95 days were utilised).
	Letter from Kim Thorneywork, dated 18 March 2013
	Thank you for your question to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its Agencies qualify for privilege days; and the total cost to the public purse of those days.
	I have been asked to reply as the Chief Executive of Skills Funding.
	The Skills Funding Agency does not operate privilege days; therefore there are no numbers or costs involved.

Medicine: Research

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much was invested by (a) his Department, (b) the Medical Research Council and (c) the National Institute for Health Research in each of the last three years on research into (i) lung disease and (ii) cardiovascular disease.

David Willetts: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), through programmes under the Technology Strategy Board, has provided the following funding on lung and cardiovascular disease in the last three years:
	
		
			 £ 
			  Lung Cardiovascular 
			 2010/11 0 0 
			 2011/12 486,000 486,000 
			 2012/13 9.9 million 494,000 
		
	
	The Medical Research Council's expenditure on respiratory and cardiovascular disease from 2009/10 to 2011/12 (latest figures available), is as follows:
	
		
			 £ million 
			  Respiratory Cardiovascular 
			 2009/10(1) 39.3 37.7 
			 2010/11(2) 32.5 n/a 
			 2011/12(2) 33.0 n/a 
			 (1) Actual expenditure (2) Forecasted expenditure 
		
	
	It has not been possible for the MRC to provide recent figures for cardiovascular disease in the time frame given. The cardiovascular portfolio is scheduled for update later in the year.
	The National Institute for Health Research figures on respiratory and cardiovascular disease are as follows:
	
		
			 £ million 
			  Respiratory Cardiovascular 
			 2009/10 15.7 31.6 
			 2010/11 18.2 31.0 
			 2011/12 20.2 34.1

Overseas Trade: Indonesia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to promote trade with Indonesia.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade and Investment has a 10 person team in Jakarta to support British exporters. UK Trade and Investment Asia Task Force team runs events across the UK with the aim of encouraging more UK businesses to consider and take advantage of the opportunities across Asia. During the current campaign more than 1,000 businesses have taken part in 15 events. Indonesia is a key component of this work.
	To enhance our engagement, the Prime Minister announced in November 2012 the appointment of my hon. Friend the Member for Gloucester (Richard Graham) as his Trade Envoy for Indonesia to be active both in Indonesia and in raising the profile of Indonesia in the UK. The hon. Member for Gloucester made a first visit to the market in this capacity in January of this year.
	During the Prime Minister's visit to Indonesia in April 2012, both countries announced a shared ambition to double bilateral trade from £2.2 billion in 2010 to £4.4 billion by 2015 and at the second round of bilateral trade talks in October 2012 Lord Green agreed with his Indonesian ministerial counterpart to form a "Trade and Investment 2030 Vision Group" to report to Ministers of both Governments on what we want our trade and investment relationship to be in 2030 and the action required to get there.
	In February of this year the UK-ASEAN Business Council hosted a round table discussion for UK businesses with Dr Chatib Bash, the Chairman of the Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board.

Overseas Trade: Middle East

Duncan Hames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the total value was of goods and services traded between the UK Government and (a) Israel and (b) the Occupied Palestinian Territories in each of the last three years.

Michael Fallon: Data on UK trade with Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories are given in Tables 1 and 2 as follows:
	
		
			 Table 1: Value of goods traded 
			 £ million 
			  2012 2011 2010 
			 Israel 3,820 3,753 2,806 
			 Occupied Palestinian Territories 6 4 2 
			 Source: HMRC Overseas Trade Statistics 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Value of services traded 
			 £ million 
			  2012 2011 2010 
			 Israel n/a 1,469 1,159 
			 Occupied Palestinian Territories n/a n/a n/a 
			 n/a = Data are not available. Note: HMRC and ONS data are on a different basis, hence not directly comparable. Source: ONS Pink Book 2012

Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much was paid to officials in (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies in bonuses and other payments in addition to salary in each of the last five years; how many officials received such payments; and what the monetary value was of the 20 largest payments made in each year.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) was formed through a machinery of government change that occurred in June 2009. BIS was created by merging the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS).
	Based on information available, the following table provides details for both the former Departments that were merged to create BIS. To provide details of other additional payments and allowances before 2010-11, and the 20 largest payments, would involve checking various data sources and would entail disproportionate costs, as would obtaining the information for BIS’s non-departmental public bodies.
	
		
			 £ 
			 Financial year Performance related payments (including SCS) Allowances 
			 2009-10 2,734,780 — 
			 2010-11 1,540,957 2,941,096 
			 2011-12 1,614,939 2,807,707 
		
	
	The allowance figures in the above table include pay enhancements that recognise staff with specialist skills such as lawyers, economists, accountants etc.
	BIS also operates the following working pattern allowances: overtime, travelling time, meal allowance, night duty allowance and night duty officer's allowance, off shore allowance, on call allowance, standby allowance, weekend duty senior press officers allowance, overseas allowances and emergency preparedness volunteers.

Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what allowances and subsidies in addition to salary were available to officials in (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies in each of the last five years; and what the monetary value was of such payments and allowances in each such year.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) was formed through a machinery of government change that occurred in June 2009. The Department was created by merging the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS).
	Details of the monetary value of allowances before 2010-11 would involve checking various data sources and would entail disproportionate costs, as would obtaining the information for BIS's non-departmental public bodies.
	
		
			 Financial year Allowances (£) 
			 2010-11 2,941,096 
			 2011-12 2,807,707 
		
	
	The allowance figures in the table include pay enhancements that recognise staff with specialist skills such as lawyers, economists, accountants etc.
	BIS also operates the following working pattern allowances: overtime, travelling time, meal allowance, night duty allowance and night duty officer's allowance, off shore allowance, on call allowance, standby allowance, weekend duty senior press officers allowance, overseas allowances and emergency preparedness volunteers.

Profit Sharing

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what support his Department provides to businesses that want to increase share ownership amongst their employees.

Jo Swinson: The Government are fully committed to implementing the Nuttall Review on Employee Ownership published in July 2012. BIS officials are making good progress towards removing red-tape restricting internal share markets and are in the process of developing legal templates and guidance to assist businesses wanting to increase employee share ownership. Alongside this, we are also undertaking a number of other measures to promote a greater uptake of employee ownership in the economy.

Recruitment

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials were recruited to (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies in each of the last five years.

Jo Swinson: In June 2009 the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) was merged with the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) to create the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). Therefore we only have access to data from this date.
	The following table show all new recruits to BIS (including UK Trade and Investment) broken down by year:
	
		
			  Permanent transfer from other Government Department Fixed term/temporary/loan to cover specific skills gaps New recruits (permanent) Number of people recruited 
			 June 2009 to March 2010 54 164 138 356 
			 April 2010 to March 2011 129 145 44 318 
			 April 2011 to March 2012 148 142 101 391 
			 April 2012 to March 2013 161 171 123 455 
		
	
	Information regarding the Department's non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Regional Growth Fund

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assistance has been provided to Eli Lilly under the Regional Growth Fund; and for what purpose such assistance has been granted.

Michael Fallon: Eli Lilly is one of the selected bidders in round 3 of the Regional Growth Fund that was announced in October 2012. These bids are still going through the contracting phase so no final award has yet been agreed. The deadline for completion of this phase is 19 April 2013 and a further announcement will follow then.

Research

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much the public sector has spent on research and development in each year for which figures are available; and what information his Department holds on research and development spending by the private sector in such years.

David Willetts: The Office for National Statistics publishes gross domestic expenditure on research and development (GERD) in the United Kingdom. The latest available figures broken down by public and private spending on R&D are shown as follows:
	
		
			 Expenditure on research and development in the UK 
			 £ million 
			  Public sector Private sector Total 
			 2000 5,931 11,806 17,736 
			 2001 5,983 12,564 18,547 
			 2002 6,384 12,858 19,243 
			 2003 6,853 12,874 19,727 
			 2004 7,174 13,068 20,242 
			 2005 7,869 14,236 22,106 
			 2006 8,335 14,657 22,993 
			 2007 8,473 16,222 24,696 
			 2008 8,934 16,409 25,345 
			 2009 9,434 16,198 25,632 
			 2010 9,474 16,705 26,179 
			 2011 9,475 17,904 27,380 
			 Source: UK Gross Domestic Expenditure on R&D, ONS 
		
	
	GERD statistics measure all R&D performed in UK, irrespective of who pays for it, including funding from abroad. However, it excludes R&D performed abroad even if it is funded from the UK. The public sector definition used comprises of UK Government Departments, research councils and higher education institutions.
	A longer time series setting out this information back to 1993 is available from the ONS publication entitled: UK Gross Domestic Expenditure on R&D statistics—see:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/rdit1/gross-domestic-expenditure-on-research-and-development/2011/index.html

Sickness Absence

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many days (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies has lost to staff sickness in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the cost of such absences in each year.

Jo Swinson: In June 2009 the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) was merged with the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) to create the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). Therefore we have access to data only from this date.
	The following table shows average working days lost through sickness or BIS core (including UKTI).
	Years overlap due to the way in which data is collected on a 12 month rolling period.
	
		
			  Average working days lost 
			 July 2009 to June 2010 3.8 
			 January 2010 to December 2010 3.3 
			 April 2010 to March 2011 3.5 
			 July 2010 to June 2011 3 
			 October 2010 to September 2011 3.1 
			 January 2011 to December 2011 4.6 
			 April 2011 to March 2012 4.8 
			 July 2011 to June 2012 5.0 
			 October 2011 to September 2012 5.0 
			 January 2012 to December 2012 5.4 
		
	
	It is not possible to estimate a cost of such absence as this would result in disproportionate costs.
	All BIS core (including UKTI) and agencies sickness absence information is published on a quarterly basis and can be found on the BIS website.
	The increase in recorded absence since 2011 was expected, as BIS has implemented more robust reporting arrangements.
	Information regarding the Department's non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Sickness Absence

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies have had (i) fewer than five days, (ii) five to 10 days, (iii) 10 to 15 days, (iv) 15 to 20 days, (v) 20 to 25 days, (vi) 25 to 50 days, (vii) 50 to 75 days, (viii) 75 to 100 days, (ix) 100 to 150 days, (x) 150 to 200 days, (xi) more than 200 days, (xii) more than three months, (xiii) more than six months and (xiv) more than one year on paid sick leave (A) consecutively and (B) in total in each of the last five years.

Jo Swinson: The Department does not hold this information centrally and it could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
	Information regarding the Department's non-departmental public bodies is also not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Sugar

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much sugar of each type was imported to the UK in each year since 1990.

Michael Fallon: Data are published by Eurostat on their statistics database:
	http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/statistics/search_database
	Data are also published by the HMRC on their
	www.uktradeinfo.com
	website for the years 1996 onwards.

Telephone Services

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) 0800, (b) 0808, (c) 0844, (d) 0845 and (e) 0870 telephone numbers for the public are in use by (i) his Department and (ii) the agencies for which he is responsible.

Jo Swinson: Central records show that the numbers in use by the Department are:
	0845 015 0010 BIS Publications Order line;
	0845 015 0020 BIS Publications Order line (Fax);
	0845 015 0030 BIS Publications Order line (Minicom);
	0845 600 9006 Business Link Helpline; and
	0800 917 9867 Pay and Work Rights Helpline
	0800 917 2368 Pay and Work Rights Helpline.
	I have approached the chief executives of the Department's executive agencies (Insolvency Service, Companies House, National Measurement Office, Intellectual Property Office, UK Space Agency, Ordnance Survey, Met Office, Land Registry and the Skills Funding Agency) and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.
	Letter from Peter Mason, dated 12 March 2013
	I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office (NMO) to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 11 March 2013, asking the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills about the number of 0800, 0808, 0844, 0845 and 0870 telephone numbers for the public in use by NMO.
	NMO do not offer 0800, 0808, 0844, 0845 and 0870 telephone numbers to the public.
	Letter from Ann Lewis, dated 12 March 2013
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 11 March 2013, to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, UIN 147812.
	Companies House uses the 0845 telephone number for one of its services.
	Letter from John Hirst, dated 13 March 2013
	I am replying on behalf of the Met Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 11 March 2013, UIN 147812 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The public can access the Met Office Weather Desk with weather related enquiries, any time of the day or night, by telephone, fax, email, and social media. To contact the Weather Desk by telephone or fax, the public can choose to use either a geographic number or a 0870 number. No revenue is generated by the Met Office through the use of these 0870 numbers.
	No other 0800, 0808, 0844, 0845, or 0870 telephone numbers for the public are in use by the Met Office.
	I hope this helps.
	Letter from John Alty, dated 13 March 2013
	I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 11th March 2013, to the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The Intellectual Property Office has the following 08 prefix public telephone numbers:
	
		
			 Telephone number Quantity 
			 0800 0 
			 0808 0 
			 0844 0 
			 0845 1 
		
	
	Background:
	0845 was replaced with a new 0300 phone number in June 2010.
	The 0845 number sits in the background and is not advertised to customers. Around 10% of customers continue to contact us on this number.
	Letter from Dr Vanessa Lawrence CB, dated 13 March 2013
	As Director General and Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey, I have been asked to reply to you in response to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills “how many (a) 0800, (b) 0808, (c) 0844, (d) 0845 and (e) 0870 telephone numbers for the public are in use by (i) his Department and (ii) the agencies for which he is responsible?”
	Ordnance Survey has nine 0845 numbers which are available for the public to use. Two of these are the main English and Welsh customer service numbers. The remaining seven numbers are used by customers who require more specialised information, such as the OS OpenData helpline.
	Ordnance Survey does not have any 0800, 0808, 0844 or 0870 numbers that are available for the public to use.
	I hope this information is of use.
	Letter from Dr Richard Judge, dated 18 March 2013
	The Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to your question, how many (a) 0800 (b) 0808 (c) 0844 (d) 0845 (e) 0870 telephone numbers for the public are in use by (i) his Department and (ii) the agencies for which he is responsible.
	As at 14 March 2013 The Insolvency Service had the following numbers in use:
	(a) 0800—None;
	(b) 0808—None;
	(c) 0844—None;
	(d) 0845—The Insolvency Service currently operates the following 0845 numbers:
	1. Insolvency hotline—0845 601 3546
	2. Enquiry line—0845 602 9848
	(e) 0870—-None.
	Letter from Malcolm Dawson, dated 13 March 2013
	I write on behalf of Land Registry in response to Parliamentary Question 147812 tabled on 11 March 2013 which asked the following:
	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many (a) 0800, (b) 0808, (c) 0844, (d) 0845 and (e) 0870 telephone numbers for the public are in use by (i) his Department and (ii) the agencies for which he is responsible.
	Land Registry uses fifteen 0800 telephone numbers and eleven 0844 telephone numbers for the public.
	Land Registry does not use any 0808, 0845 or 0870 telephone numbers for the public.
	I hope you find this information useful.
	Letter from David Parker, dated 18 March 2013
	Thank you for your question addressed to the Secretary of State for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills asking how many (a) 0800, (b) 0808, (c) 0844, (d) 0845 and (e) 0870 telephone numbers for the public are in use by (i) his Department and (ii) the agencies for which he is responsible.
	The UK Space Agency does not have any (a) 0800, (b) 0808, (c) 0844, (d) 0845 and (e) 0870 telephone numbers in use for the public.
	Letter from Kim Thorneywork, dated 14 March 2013
	Thank you for your question to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on how many (a) 0800, (b) 0808, (c) 0844, (d) 0845 and (e) 0870 telephone numbers for the public are in use by (i) his Department and (ii) the agencies for which he is responsible.
	I have been asked to reply as the Chief Executive of Skills Funding.
	The Skills Funding Agency uses two 0845 numbers and two 0870 numbers.

Telephone Services

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department's customer service telephone lines are restricted to those beginning 0870.

Jo Swinson: Central records show that the Department does not utilise any 0870 numbers.

Termination of Employment

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies have left that body due to (i) resignation, (ii) retirement, (iii) redundancy, (iv) transferral to another public sector post and (v) another reason in each of the last five years.

Jo Swinson: In June 2009 the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) was merged with the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) to create the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). Therefore, we only have access to data from this date.
	The following table shows the number of leavers by leave reason:
	
		
			  Resignation Retirement Redundancy or voluntary early retirement Transfer to another public sector post(2) Other Total 
			 June 2009 to March 2010 67 47 25 81 85 305 
			 April 2010 to March 2011 111 52 335 110 130 738 
			 April 2011 to March 2012 64 27 242 123 85 541 
			 April 2012 to March 2013(1) 63 33 12 133 99 340 
			 (1) Data up to 11 March 2013. (2) Data include all those who have gone to another Government Department or another public sector body. 
		
	
	Information regarding the Department's non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Trade Competitiveness

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the UK's business competitiveness.

Michael Fallon: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood) on 7 March 2013, Official Report, columns 1178-79W.

Trade Promotion

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to promote UK trade in the ASEAN region.

Michael Fallon: There are significant opportunities for UK business in the ASEAN region. Already UK goods exports to ASEAN are significantly higher than those to either India or Japan, and UK services exports to ASEAN, the bulk of which go to Singapore, exceed those to either China (including Hong Kong) or Japan.
	This importance has been reflected in increased ministerial engagement over the past two years, with more visits than in the previous 20. The Prime Minister visited the region in 2012 and four ASEAN heads of government, or visitors of equivalent seniority, have visited the UK since. This month, the All Party Parliamentary Group on Trade and Investment visited Singapore and Indonesia, accompanied by a UK business delegation drawn from the education, creative and infrastructure sectors.
	UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) is supporting business in the region with a presence in nine ASEAN markets, having recently opened offices in Burma and Cambodia. We have reinforced our diplomatic presence in ASEAN markets, opening a new embassy in Laos in 2012 and creating 42 new prosperity posts as part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office focus on emerging powers. The British embassies and high commissions in the region are working actively to position British companies to win business from high value opportunities in the region and to open markets and reduce barriers to trade. This includes support for EU negotiations on free trade agreements with ASEAN countries, in particular with Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam.
	The UK-ASEAN Business Council, launched in November 2011, provides UK business interested, or already active, in the region with greater insights into ASEAN's high growth and emerging markets. UKABC works with the UKTI network to promote business opportunities in ASEAN to UK companies, as well as providing them with practical market intelligence.
	UKTI has been working in partnership with the UK-ASEAN Business Council and the British Chambers of Commerce in Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand to provide on-the-ground support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to tackle the uncertainty of doing business in these markets. The "Headstart" service offers SMEs access to office space, facilitated access to local UK business networks and support from Chamber staff.
	UKTI's Asia Task Force team runs events across the UK with the aim of encouraging more UK businesses to consider, and take advantage of, the opportunities across Asia. During the current campaign, more than 1,000 businesses have taken part in 15 events.

Trade Promotion

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many parliamentary trade envoys have been appointed since May 2010; who has been appointed as such envoys and to which countries; and whether he plans to appoint others in the coming year.

Michael Fallon: There are eight Prime Ministerial Trade Envoys working with UK Trade & Investment to identify and develop business opportunities in selected high growth and developing markets and to showcase those opportunities in the UK. The trade envoys are:
	
		
			 Trade envoy Market(s) of expertise 
			 Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury Mexico 
			 Baroness Morris of Bolton Jordan, Kuwait and Palestinian Territories 
			 Lord Puttnam of Queensgate Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia 
			 Lord Risby of Haverhill Algeria 
			 Baroness Scotland of Asthal South Africa 
			 Lord Sharman of Redlynch Morocco 
			 Charles Hendry MP Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan 
			 Richard Graham MP Indonesia 
		
	
	All of the trade envoys have been appointed during the last year. The programme is developing well and the present intention is to expand it in due course. But the Government will want to evaluate the effectiveness of the first phase before taking a final decision on this.

Trade Promotion

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what (a) terms of reference and (b) duties have been provided to parliamentary trade envoys.

Michael Fallon: The terms of reference provided to, and agreed with, the Prime Ministerial Trade Envoys, which also encapsulate their duties are:
	1. Trade Envoys are appointments made by HM Government and are responsible for promoting trade to and in a specific market and also attracting investment in to the UK by showcasing UK opportunities.
	2. Each Trade Envoy will agree to undertake a programme of activity, set out for a 12 month period, tailored to address the key issues that are identified for them to drive forward for the designated market. This will include, but not exclusively, up to two overseas trips and up to four UK-based activities.
	3. Each 12-month programme will be agreed in advance with the representative, the Chair of the Trade Envoys programme, Lord Marland and UKTI and Foreign Office officials.
	4. Each Trade Envoy agrees to undertake their role to May 2015, with a review on progress at the end of each 12 month programme.
	5. Trade Envoys are matched to a market based on their experience and expertise. The market assigned will be agreed with each Trade Envoy ahead of them taking on the role.
	6. Markets identified for the programme are emerging and growth markets, beyond those already identified in the UKTI strategy, where the opportunities tend to be less well known and where historically ministerial attention has been light.
	7. A dedicated UKTI Secretariat has been set up to support the Trade Envoys programme.
	8. Each Trade Envoy will adhere to the seven principles of public life as set by the Committee on Standards in Public Life and declare any personal or business conflicts of interest. Trade Envoys should ensure that their position is not, and raises no reasonable suspicion of being, abused or furthering their own private interests or the interests of their employing organisation.
	9. Trade Envoys are not civil servants. However, the role of a Trade Envoy carries with it a duty of confidentiality in relation to information received. This duty of confidentiality will continue to apply after the expiry of their term of office. In addition, the Official Secrets Acts 1911 and 1989 will apply.

Trade Promotion

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding has been allocated to parliamentary trade envoys to allow them to fulfil their terms of reference and carry out all related duties.

Michael Fallon: The annual budget allocated for the eight Prime Ministerial Trade Envoys is £176,000. This is based on each undertaking two overseas visits and an additional four UK events per year.

Trade Unions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of the working population in (a) the private sector and (b) the public sector were members of a union in each year for which figures are available.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills annually publishes statistical data on trade union membership which is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/16381/12-p77-trade-union-membership-2011.pdf
	Table 2.2 on page 26 sets out trade union density by public and private sector for the years 1995-2011.

HEALTH

Alexandra Hospital Redditch

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to allow alternative providers, including University Hospitals, Birmingham, to access information on the Alexandra Hospital site.

Daniel Poulter: This is a matter for the local national health service.
	National health service commissioners in Worcestershire are currently working with the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust to review the future provision of services, which will be subject to formal public consultation planned for this summer.

Continuing Care

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what progress the NHS Commissioning Board has made in developing the Long-Term Conditions Strategy and its Diabetes Companion Document; and when he expects these documents to be published; [R]
	(2)  what progress his Department has made in developing the Diabetes Action Plan; and when he expects this document to be published. [R]

Anna Soubry: The Department will no longer publish an Outcomes Strategy for Long-Term Conditions and Diabetes Companion Document, as, through the Mandate, we have asked the NHS Commissioning Board to lead on producing proposals for how the new system will work together to support improved outcomes for people with long-term conditions.
	The Diabetes Action Plan will set out actions that the national health service can take to increase identification, and improve prevention and treatment of diabetes. We expect the NHS Commissioning Board, with input from Jonathan Valabhji, the new national clinical director for obesity and diabetes, to regard publication of the action plan as an early and important contribution to supporting the outcomes it is expected to deliver across the five Domains of the NHS Outcomes Framework.

Dental Services: Birmingham

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists in (a) Birmingham and (b) Birmingham, Selly Oak constituency provide NHS treatment for (i) children and (ii) adults.

Daniel Poulter: The information is not collected in the format requested. Data on dentists are not collected by constituency area and do not separately identify which patient groups are treated.
	The following table shows the number of primary care dentists within the three Birmingham primary care trusts (PCT) that treat both children and adults.
	
		
			 Primary care (high street) dentists in Birmingham with national health service activity, in the year-ending 31 March 2012 
			 Organisation name Organisation code Total number of dentists 
			 Birmingham East and North PCT 5PG 218 
			 Heart of Birmingham PCT 5MX 152 
			 South Birmingham PCT 5M1 181 
			 Notes: 1. Dentists are defined as performers with NHS activity recorded by FP17 forms during each financial year. 2. Dentists will be counted more than once if they have a contract in more than one PCT or strategic health authority. 3. Data consists of performers in General Dental Services, Personal Dental Services and Trust-led Dental Services. Sources: 1. Health and Social Care Information Centre 2. NHS Dental Services of the NHS Business Services Authority

Dietary Supplements: EU Law

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what information he holds on discussions involving (a) the European Commission and (b) Standing Committees and their working groups which relate to the provisions of the Food Supplements Directive relating to widening its scope beyond vitamins and minerals to include supplements containing plant, fish and animal extracts; and what his objectives are for the outcome of that process;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the potential effect on manufacturers, retailers and consumers of specialist food supplements of plans by the European Commission to bring forward proposals to expand the scope of the food supplements directive beyond vitamins and minerals to include supplements containing plant, fish and animal extracts.

Anna Soubry: There have not been any recent discussions with European member states in relation to widening the scope of the food supplements directive to include supplements containing plant, fish and animal extracts.
	The Commission concluded, in its report of 5 December 2008 on the use of substances other than vitamins and minerals in food supplements, that laying down specific rules applicable to these substances is not justified. The report is available at:
	http://ec.europa.eu/food/food/labellingnutrition/supplements/documents/COMM_PDF_COM_2008_0824_F_EN_RAPPORT.pdf
	No assessment has been made regarding the potential effect on manufacturers, retailers and consumers of specialist food supplements on expansion of the scope of the food supplements directive to include supplements containing, plant, fish and animal extracts, as there are no current plans for the European Commission to bring forward such proposals.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many overseas visitors were treated in (a) England, (b) Suffolk Primary Care Trust area and (c) the East of England NHS area in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what the cost to the NHS was of treating non-EU overseas visitors in (a) England, (b) Suffolk Primary Care Trust area and (c) the East of England NHS area in each of the last three years.

Anna Soubry: The Department does not hold this information, as national health service bodies do not submit data on the number of overseas visitors they treat or the cost of treating them.

Horses: Slaughterhouses

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many horses were brought to slaughter at UK abattoirs in 2008.

Anna Soubry: The number of solipeds slaughtered in the United Kingdom in 2008 is as follows. In accordance with arrangements in place at that time, there may have been further animals presented for slaughter that the official veterinarian may not have accepted due to passport irregularities, with these animals returned to the owner/dealer.
	
		
			  Number of solipeds slaughtered including those rejected at slaughter for human consumption in the UK 
			 2008 3,814

Hospices: East of England

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much NHS funding was allocated to hospices in the East of England in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13 to date; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: The information requested is not collected or held centrally. NHS funding for hospices is a matter for local NHS commissioners.

Hospital Beds

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital beds at (a) Furness General Hospital, (b) Westmorland General Hospital and (c) Lancaster Royal Infirmary (i) are available now and (ii) were available in each of the last five years.

Anna Soubry: Information is not available in the format requested. Information on hospital bed availability at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (FT) during each of the last five years is shown in the following tables. It is the responsibility of individual trusts, working with local national health service commissioners, to ensure that the availability of hospital beds is appropriate to meet demand.
	
		
			 Average daily number of available beds open overnight at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS FT by sector from 2008-09 to Q3 2012-13 
			  Quarter Total General and acute Mental illness Maternity Learning disabilities 
			 2008-09 — 878 823 — 55 — 
			 2009-10 — 857 802 — 55 — 
			 2010-11 Q1 795 740 — 55 — 
			 2010-11 Q2 783 728 — 55 — 
			 2010-11 Q3 795 740 — 55 — 
			 2010-11 Q4 800 745 — 55 — 
			 2011-12 Q1 783 728 — 55 — 
			 2011-12 Q2 759 705 — 54 — 
			 2011-12 Q3 760 705 — 55 — 
			 2011-12 Q4 760 705 — 55 — 
			 2012-13 Q1 783 728 — 55 — 
			 2012-13 Q2 795 740 — 55 — 
			 2012-13 Q3 802 747 — 55 — 
			 Note: From 2010-11 onwards, the KH03 collection changed from an annual to a quarterly collection. At the same time, the classification for bed occupancy was changed from ward type to the consultant specialty of the responsible consultant, therefore the data are not directly comparable. Source: Department of Health—KH03 Unify2 Data Collection. 
		
	
	
		
			 Average daily number of available beds open day only at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS FT from 2008-09 to Q3 2012-13 
			  Quarter Total 
			 2008-09 — 48 
			 2009-10 — 80 
			 2010-11 Q1 127 
			 2010-11 Q2 124 
			 2010-11 Q3 126 
			 2010-11 Q4 138 
			 2011-12 Q1 133 
			 2011-12 Q2 131 
			 2011-12 Q3 135 
			 2011-12 Q4 140 
			 2012-13 Q1 140 
			 2012-13 Q2 133 
			 2012-13 Q3 119 
			 Note: From 2010-11 onwards, the KH03 collection changed from an annual to a quarterly collection. At the same time, the classification for bed occupancy was changed from ward type to the consultant specialty of the responsible consultant, therefore the data are not directly comparable. Source: Department of Health—KH03 Unify2 Data Collection.

Hospitals: Construction

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on building and refurbishing hospitals in each of the last 30 years.

Daniel Poulter: The information requested is not available in the format requested.
	Data have been collected annually through the Estates Return Information Collection (ERIC) from the national health service on their total capital spend since 2001-02. They were not collected prior to that date.
	They represent the total amount of all capital invested by each NHS organisation, within the reporting year, for the upgrading, refurbishment, renewal and modernisation of the NHS trusts estate. They include relevant capital derived from all sources, inclusive of block capital allocations, external financial limit allocations, donations, land purchases and private sector investment (private finance initiative and local investment finance trust). They exclude costs associated with day to day maintenance of property and the provision of vehicles. The figures relate to the total capital investment in each reporting year and are expressed in cash terms.
	
		
			  Total capital investment (£ million) 
			 2001-02 1,682 
			 2002-03 2,008 
			 2003-04 2,246 
			 2004-05 2,173 
			 2005-06 2,134 
			 2006-07 2,403 
			 2007-08 2,432 
			 2008-09 2,705 
			 2009-10 3,139 
			 2010-11 3,321 
			 2011-12 2,231 
		
	
	The data provided are as reported by the NHS and has not been amended centrally.

Annual Leave

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies qualify for privilege days; and what the total cost to the public purse was of the number of privilege days utilised each year by such officials.

Daniel Poulter: In 2011-12, 2,350 full-time equivalent civil servants in the Department qualified for privilege leave. The estimated annual cost was £1.27 million, assuming that all civil servants used the full privilege leave entitlement.
	The Department's Executive Agency and non-Departmental bodies have provided the information in the following table about privilege days.
	
		
			 Name of organisation How many officials qualify for privilege days Total cost of the number of privilege days each year by such officials (£) 
			 Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency 939 509,223 
			 Care Quality Commission 0 0 
			 NHS Commissioning Board 0 0 
			 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority 0 0 
			 Health Protection Agency 0 0 
			 Human Tissue Authority 54 27,008 
			 Monitor 119 100,020

Mental Illness: Young People

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to diagnose and treat mental illnesses in young people; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: Children and young people's mental health is a priority for this Government. That is why we are investing £54 million over the four-year period 2011-15 in the Children and Young People's Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme to drive service transformation in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, giving children and young people improved access to the best mental health care by embedding evidence based practice.
	‘No health without mental health: a cross-Government mental health outcomes strategy for people of all ages’ was published in February 2011. The strategy takes a life-course approach and highlights the importance of early intervention and prevention, and makes clear an expectation of parity of esteem between mental and physical health services.
	The implementation framework for the mental health strategy sets out details of how Government, national and local organisations can help implement the strategy and improve outcomes for people of all ages.

Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many individual complaints his Department received from members of the public on care and treatment by Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust and its predecessor in each year between 2002 and 2010.

Daniel Poulter: Records are only available from August 2005. A search of the Department's ministerial correspondence database has identified 64 individual complaints about Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation received between 1 August 2005 and 16 March 2009. Between 17 March 2009 and 31 December 2010, the Department received 580 items of correspondence about the Trust, of which 33 are indexed as being complaints. This is a minimum figure which represents correspondence received by the Department's ministerial correspondence unit only.

Mobile Phones

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which company holds the largest contract to provide mobile telephony services to his Department; how much is paid each year under that contract; how many individual devices are covered by the contract; when the contract was awarded; and when and how the contract will next be reviewed.

Daniel Poulter: The Department currently sources mobile telephony services from Vodafone under a cross Government Framework Agreement.
	The Department spent £842,720 during the last two years ending in December 2012 on mobile telephony services.
	The number of individual departmental mobile devices covered by the contract at 31 December 2012 is 2,390.
	The contract commenced on 1 April 2011 and the contract expiry date is 31 March 2015. The Department has no planned review date for this contract.
	NHS Connecting for Health's mobile telephony contract is with Vodafone. For the financial year 2011-12, the expenditure was £484,887. Annual expenditure changes based on usage and numbers of handsets purchased. As at 1 March 2013, the number of devices held was 1,368. This included phones, mobile devices and USB dongles. The contract was awarded to Vodafone in 2011 and has just been reviewed and adjusted to a more economical tariff.

NHS Direct

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will establish for NHS Direct a contact telephone number that is a UK landline number beginning 01, 02 or 03.

Anna Soubry: NHS Direct’s 0845 4647 number will be switched off at the end of June, when the new, free-to-call, NHS 111 service will be available across England.

NHS Shared Business Services

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what support his Department has given to NHS Shared Business Services to assist with the reorganisation of the NHS;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with NHS Shared Business Services on the reorganisation of the NHS and its role within new NHS structures;
	(3)  what discussions he has had with clinical commissioning groups on the services provided by NHS Shared Business Services.

Daniel Poulter: The Under-Secretary of State, my right hon. and noble Friend, Earl Howe, has met with (NHS SBS) NHS Shared Business Services to discuss the importance of their role and services in the restructured national health-service, and has promoted the benefits of an integrated approach to finance and accounting with commissioners.
	Officials from the Department sit on the Board and Audit Committee of the NHS SBS, and as such are actively involved in the oversight and governance of the organisation. This active involvement has included discussion of changes to the NHS as a result of the ongoing reorganisation.
	In March 2012 the NHS Commissioning Board (NHS CB) signed a contract with NHS SBS to provide a finance and accounting system to the NHS CB and the clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). NHS SBS already provided this service to 50% of primary care trusts and 80% of strategic health authority. It was essential to the success of the reforms for the NHS CB and clinical commissioning groups to have access to a high quality and disciplined financial system which tracks spending and undertakes essential reconciliations regularly.
	This should allow CCGs to concentrate on the clinical commissioning aspects of their work rather than more administrative processes. It will also contribute to the 50% reduction in administration costs which are envisaged by the new system.

NHS: Pay

Michael Ellis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many managers in the NHS are paid more than the Prime Minister.

Daniel Poulter: The headcount of senior managers in September 2012 was 11,150. The Electronic Staff Record (ESR) Data Warehouse records of total payments made to staff directly employed by those organisations which use ESR suggests that approximately 400 managers received payments in excess of £142,500 in the 12 months October 2011 to September 2012, the latest data available.
	The Electronic Staff Record Data Warehouse is a monthly snap shot of the live ESR system. This is the HR and payroll system that covers all national health service employees other than those working in General Practice, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and some NHS staff who have transferred to local authorities and social enterprises.
	Managers are defined as those recorded on ESR as either a manager or senior manager.
	The analysis counts actual payments. No uplift has been applied to payments made to employees who work on a part-time basis or who did not work for the full 12 months.

Overtime Payments

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2013, Official Report, columns 339-40W, on Government Procurement Card, what the average cost was of overtime per member of staff in (a) his Department and (b) each of its arm's length bodies in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13.

Daniel Poulter: holding answer 14 March 2013
	The average cost of overtime per civil servant in the Department is given in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			 2010-11 167 
			 2011-12 178 
			 2012-13 99 
		
	
	The information on average cost of overtime per member of staff in each of the Department's arm's length bodies is given in the following table.
	The average costs per member of staff reflects all staff eligible for overtime unless otherwise stated in the notes of table.
	
		
			 £ 
			  Average cost of overtime per member of staff 
			 Name of organisation 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency 480.79 841.05 677.79 
			 Care Quality Commission (CQC)(1) 284 525 235 
			 NHS Commissioning Board (NHS CB) (2)— (2)— (3)N/A 
			 Health and Social Care Information Centre 141.98 55.46 30.46 
			 Health Education England (2)— (2)— 0 
			 Health Protection Agency (HPA)(4) 273.15 258.72 244.83 
			 Health Research Authority (2)— 0 20 
			 Human Tissue Authority 14.56 10.76 0 
			 Monitor 0 0 0 
			 National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)(5) (6)— (7)397 (8)718 
			 National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse 0 0 0 
			 NHS Blood and Transplant (NHS BT)(9) 1,059 1,033 1,078 
			 NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA)(10) 309.64 531.11 506.77 
			 NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement 2,329 3,842 3,608 
			 NHS Litigation Authority 83.87 79.72 65.62 
			 NHS Trust Development Authority (2)— (2)— 0 
		
	
	
		
			 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority 211.27 223.88 384.90 
			 (1 )CQC: The figures for 2012-13: this is the average for April 2012 to December 2012. (2 )Not in existence. (3 )NHS CB: The Commissioning Board became an executive non-departmental public body on 1 October 2012 and will not be effectively operational until 1 April 2013. The Commissioning Board has undertaken a significant programme of staff transition and recruitment, and during this financial year most staff have been working on a secondment basis. Therefore it is not possible to give meaningful figures for 2012-13. (4 )HPA: the figures presented represent total overtime over the total staff headcount. It should be noted that overtime is only available on certain contractual terms and conditions within HPA. (5 )NICE: The figures show the cost of overtime per member of staff eligible for overtime. It is not NICE policy to pay overtime, so it is only in these exceptional circumstances where overtime has actually been paid. (6 )Information not available. (7 )Based on one eligible member of staff. (8 )Based on six eligible members of staff. (9 )NHS BT: The average overtime cost has been calculated base on whole time equivalent. (10 )BSA: The 2012-13 figure is based on year to date and includes estimated costs for March 2013.

Phenylbutazone

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) horse owners and (b) vets have been (i) prosecuted and (ii) fined for failing to declare horses that had been treated with phenylbutazone in each of the last three years.

David Heath: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
	None. The results of follow-up investigations into non-compliant samples have not revealed sufficiently serious shortcomings to consider prosecutions. A summary of the results of follow-up investigations are included in papers considered by the independent Veterinary Residues Committee. These can be seen at:
	http://www.vmd.defra.gov.uk/vrc/reports/surveillance.html
	and have been placed in the Library of the House.
	The chief veterinary officer and the Food Standards Agency CEO wrote a joint letter to the Veterinary Record reminding veterinarians of their responsibilities in this area, which can be viewed at:
	www.rcvs.org.uk/document-library/letter-from-defra-and-fsa-ref-horse-passports
	and has been placed in the Library of the House.

Recruitment

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many officials were recruited to (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: In the last five years a total of 720 civil servants have been recruited to the Department. The following totals include both the number of permanent civil servants appointed and fixed-term appointment civil servants.
	
		
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 Total 
			 Number of civil servants recruited 167 213 115 74 151 720 
		
	
	The information on recruitment of officials in the Department's non-departmental bodies is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  How many officials were recruited to in each of the last five years 
			 Name of organisation 2012-13(1) 2011-12 2010-11 2009-10 2008-09 
			 Care Quality Commission 481 262 54 254 (2)— 
			 NHS Commissioning Board 5,248 (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— 
			 Health Protection Agency 514 299 245 583 644 
			 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority 9 8 (3)26 9 11 
			 Human Tissue Authority 9 15 (4)=5 26 16 
			 Monitor 130 48 26 20 20 
			 (1) To date. (2) Not in existence. (3) HFEA: The records management project in 2010-11 meant it recruited a lot of staff on Fixed Term Contracts. (4) In line with Cabinet Office Standing instructions numbers of five or fewer in a category are presented as ‘=5’ to avoid identification of individuals.

Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will meet the Chief Executive of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital to discuss (a) developments plans and (b) the UK's wider specialist orthopaedic offering to patients;
	(3)  whether he has any plans to visit the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital;
	(4)  if he will make an assessment of access to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital site in Stanmore for patients with impaired mobility;
	(5)  what recent assessment he has made of the age, condition and layout of the buildings at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital;
	(6)  what assessment his Department has made of the long-term effects of a failure to secure planning consent to upgrade facilities at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital's Stanmore site on (a) existing outpatients, (b) future patients, (c) training of orthopaedic surgeons and (d) wider NHS orthopaedic service delivery;
	(7)  if he will support the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital's development proposals for the Stanmore site; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust submitted the draft Appointment Business Case for the redevelopment of the hospital to the Department in December 2012.
	This business case is currently being reviewed by the Department and the NHS London Strategic Health Authority. The Department is working with the trust to complete its review as quickly as possible.
	The redevelopment would create a new 124-bed in-patient facility to provide neuroskeletal health care and rehabilitation in modern hospital settings for patients from London and across the United Kingdom from 2016 onwards. This would replace the existing buildings, which are some of the oldest in the national health service and are no longer suitable for treating patients. The redevelopment would also ensure good physical access to services for patients and visitors, including by making it easy to navigate and access for disabled patients.
	The trust has submitted its application for full planning permission for whole site redevelopment to the local planning committee of the London borough of Harrow and it will be considered at a committee meeting on 21 March. Full planning permission is requirement for the scheme to proceed.
	At present there are no plans for a ministerial visit to the hospital.

Sickness Absence

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many days (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies has lost to staff sickness in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the cost of such absence in each year.

Daniel Poulter: For the Department: the number of days lost and estimated cost of absence for the years in question, are presented in following table. These data are based on average staff cost including superannuation and the Department's employer's contribution to national insurance.
	
		
			 Calendar year Total number of working days lost Cost of absence (£) 
			 2008 12,845 3,134,511 
			 2009 11,262 2,927,797 
			 2010 11,810 3,094,482 
			 2011 9,962 2,593,047 
			 2012 8,949 2,254,547 
		
	
	The Department's non-departmental public bodies have provided the information set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of days each non-departmental public body has lost to staff sickness in each of the last five financial years: 
			 Name of organisation 2012-13 to 28 February 2011-12 2010-11 2009-10 2008-09 
			 Care Quality Commission 25,562 26,155 21,520 22,648 (1)— 
			 NHS Commissioning Board (NHS CB) (2)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Human Fertilisation Embryology Authority 384 522 648 734 626 
			 ‘Health Protection Agency (HPA)(3) 36,262 35,063 36,808 39,677 32,643 
			 Human Tissue Authority 240 230.5 317 354 74 
			 Monitor 814.7 410 292 278 305.5 
		
	
	
		
			  Estimated cost of such absence in each financial year (£) 
			 Name of organisation 2012-13 to 28 February 2011-12 2010-11 2009-10 2008-09 
			 Care Quality Commission 4,701,689 4,873,830 3,931,860 4,112,460 (1)— 
			 NHS Commissioning Board ( NHS CB) (2)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Human Fertilisation Embryology Authority 25,000 50,000 97,000 110,000 91,000 
			 'Health Protection Agency (HPA)(3) 6,835,990 8,008,900 8,139,550 8,740,370 7,381,490 
			 Human Tissue Authority 48,812 42,461 59,366 65,490 13,690 
			 Monitor 259,470 137,840 99,100 93,260 100,060 
			 (1 )Not in existence. (2 )NHS CB: The NHS CB became an executive non-departmental public body on 1 October 2012 and will not be effectively operational until 1 April 2013. The NHS CB is undertaking a significant programme of staff transition and recruitment, and during this financial year most staff have been working on a secondment or interim basis. Therefore it is not possible to give meaningful and accurate figures for 2012-13. (3 )HPA: 2012-13 figures for 2012-13 are from April 2012 to January 2013. These figures are high level ones and are therefore only an estimated cost of absence.

Sickness Absence

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies have had (i) fewer than five days, (ii) five to 10 days, (iii) 10 to 15 days, (iv) 15 to 20 days, (v) 20 to 25 days, (vi) 25 to 50 days, (vii) 50 to 75 days, (viii) 75 to 100 days, (ix) 100 to 150 days, (x) 150 to 200 days, (xi) more than 200 days, (xii) more than three months, (xiii) more than six months and (xiv) more than one year on paid sick leave (A) consecutively and (B) in total in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: For the Department, the information requested is not held in the format requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The Department is able to provide information about sickness absence in the last five calendar years and this is presented in the following table:
	
		
			 Sickness duration calendar days 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 1 to 5 2,941 2,653 2,792 2,223 2,093 
			 5 to 10 251 225 192 130 134 
			 10 to 15 115 101 101 103 88 
			 15 to 20 50 33 39 26 37 
			 20 to 25 28 22 16 32 28 
			 25 to 50 81 66 67 74 50 
			 50 to 75 26 20 20 34 18 
			 75 to 100 20 11 18 10 17 
			 100 to 150 21 . 24 26 14 15 
			 150 to 200 11 8 8 6 6 
			 Over 200 1 1 1 0 0 
		
	
	The table shows the incidence of sickness absences by duration and year. Individual employees may well appear more than once if they have multiple episodes of sick leave.
	The Human Tissue Authority has provided the information set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Human Tissue Authority 
			  2012-13 2011-12 2010-11 2009-10 2008-09 
			  Consecutive Total Consecutive Total Consecutive Total Consecutive Total Consecutive Total 
			 < 5 days 24 23 27 22 32 21 32 25 27 24 
			 5-10 days 3 4 2 7 5 11 1 6 1 4 
			 10-15 days 0 0 1 0 0 4 1 3 0 0 
			 15-20 days 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 
			 20-25 days 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 25-50 days 3 3 0 0 2 3 1 1 0 0 
			 50-75 days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 75-100 days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0 0 0 
			 100-150 days 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 
			 150-200 days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 > 200 days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 > 3 months 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 > 6 months 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 > 1 year 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	Five non-departmental public bodies (Care Quality Commission, Health Protection Agency, Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, Monitor and the NHS Commissioning Board) could provide the information requested only at disproportionate cost.

Telephone Services

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) 0800, (b) 0808, (c) 0844, (d) 0845 and (e) 0870 telephone numbers for the public are in use by (i) his Department and (ii) the agencies for which he is responsible.

Daniel Poulter: The Department of Health Communications Directorate owns 135 0800 telephone numbers, a single 0808 telephone number and four 0845 telephone numbers for use by the public. There are no 0844 or 0870 numbers. Not all of the numbers owned by the Department are in current use.
	The Department's Executive Agency, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, has one 0808 number, for use by the public.
	The Department has a number of arm's length bodies and national programmes e.g. NHS Employers. Information about telephone services for these bodies is not held centrally and cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost.

Termination of Employment

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies have left that body due to (i) resignation, (ii) retirement, (iii) redundancy, (iv) transferral to another public sector post and (v) another reason in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: Information about civil servants who have left the Department in the last five years is presented in the following table.
	
		
			 Leaving reason 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 Total 
			 Voluntary redundancy =5 13 16 248 18 300 
			 Compulsory redundancy 0 =5 =5 =5 15 19 
			 Resignation 79 61 79 52 75 346 
			 Retirement 33 30 36 19 15 133 
			 Transfer 35 21 19 49 62 186 
			 Other 64 100 82 51 35 332 
			 Totals and ranges 210 - 220 220 - 230 230 - 240 410 - 420 220 1,316 
		
	
	The Department’s non-departmental public bodies have provided the following information about officials who have left their organisations during the time in question.
	
		
			   How many officials in non-departmental public bodies have left the body due to: 
			 Name of organisation Years in scope resignation retirement redundancy transferral to another public sector post another reason 
			 Care Quality Commission 2012-13 84 29 15 0 19 
			  2011-12 78 32 37 0 =5 
			  2010-11 111 32 99 0 13 
			  2009-10 107 22 239 0 27 
			  2008-09 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			        
			 NHS Commissioning Board (NHS CB) 2012-13 (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— 
			  2011-12 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			  2010-11 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			  2009-10 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			  2008-09 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			        
			 Health Protection Agency 2012-13 173 87 24 =5 57 
			  2011-12 183 75 31 =5 66 
			  2010-11 243 65 31 88 93 
			  2009-10 233 65 19 29 107 
			  2008-09 268 52 13 0 92 
			        
			 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority 2012-13 7 0 0 0 0 
			  2011-12 12 =5 6 0 0 
			  2010-11 33 0 0 0 0 
			  2009-10 24 0 0 0 0 
			  2008-09 23 0 =5 0 =5 
			        
			 Human Tissue Authority 2012-13 6 =5 0 0 0 
			  2011-12 13 0 0 0 0 
			  2010-11 16 =5 0 0 0 
			  2009-10 9 0 0 0 =5 
			  2008-09 (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 
			        
			 Monitor 2012-13 43 0 0 0 0 
			  2011-12 28 0 0 0 0 
			  2010-11 14 0 0 0 0 
			  2009-10 12 =5 0 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			  2008-09 8 0 0 0 0 
			 (1) Not in existence. (2) NHS CB: The NHS CB became an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body on 1 October 2012 and will not be effectively operational until 1 April 2013. The NHS CB is undertaking a significant programme of staff transition and recruitment, and during this financial year most staff have been working on a secondment or interim basis. Therefore it is not possible to give accurate figures for 2012-13. (3) HTA: Information unavailable before 2009. When the HTA was originally set up, it did not have its own human resource systems and all its HR support was provided by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. HTA HR systems were introduced in 2009.

Tobacco: Retail Trade

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he intends to publish his Department's summary report of responses to its consultation on standardised packaging of tobacco products; and when he intends to bring forward any policy proposals arising from this consultation.

Anna Soubry: The Department has received many thousands of responses to the consultation on standardised packaging of tobacco products. A summary report of consultation responses will be published in due course.
	The Government have an open mind on this issue and any decisions to take further policy action will be taken only after full consideration is given to the consultation responses, evidence and other relevant information.

Tobacco: Retail Trade

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 13 March 2013, Official Report, column 249W, on tobacco: retail trade, whether his Department has estimated the potential cost of payments to tobacco companies to purchase the associated intellectual property and branding should standardised packaging for all tobacco products be introduced.

Anna Soubry: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 13 March 2013, Official Report, columns 249-50W.

JUSTICE

Alcoholic Drinks: Crime

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) males and (b) females in each court service area aged between (i) 10 and 12, (ii) 13 and 16 and (iii) 17 and 18-years-old were (A) proceeded against, (B) found guilty and (C) sentenced to immediate custody for alcohol-related offences in (1) 2012, (2) 2011 and (3) 2010.

Jeremy Wright: The number of defendants aged 10 to 18 proceeded against at magistrates courts, and the number of offenders aged 10 to 18 found guilty and sentenced to immediate custody at all courts for alcohol- related offences, by gender and age band, for each police force area in England and Wales, for the years 2010 and 2011, can be viewed in the following table.
	Court proceedings data for 2012 are planned for publication in May 2013.
	
		
			 Defendants aged 10 to 18 proceeded against at magistrates courts, and offenders aged 10 to 18 found guilty and sentenced to immediate custody at all courts for alcohol related offences(1), by gender and age band, for each police force area in England and Wales, 2010 and 2011(2, 3) 
			 Year, police force area, gender Proceeded against Found guilty Sentenced to immediate custody 
			   Age 
			   10-12 13-16 17-18 10-12 13-16 17-18 10-12 13-16 17-18 
			 2010           
			 Avon and Somerset Male — 2 32 — 2 30 — — — 
			  Female — — 8 — — 8 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Other — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 2 40 — 2 38 — — — 
			 Bedfordshire Male — — 17 — — 17 — — 1 
			  Female — — 1 — — 1 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Defendants — — 18 — — 18 — — 1 
			 Cambridgeshire Male — 3 24 — 3 22 — — — 
			  Female — — 4 — — 4 — — — 
			  Total — 3 28 — 3 26 — — — 
			 Cheshire Male — 1 35 — 1 35 — — — 
			  Female — — 10 — — 10 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 1 45 — 1 45 — — — 
			 Cleveland Male — 2 20 — 2 21 — — 1 
		
	
	
		
			  Female — — 2 — — 2 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 2 22 — 2 23 — — 1 
			 Cumbria Male — 1 15 — 1 15 — — — 
			  Female — — 4 — — 4 — — — 
			  Total — 1 19 — 1 19 — — — 
			 Derbyshire Male — 3 30 — 3 29 — — — 
			  Female — 1 8 — — 7 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 4 38 — 3 36 — — — 
			 Devon and Cornwall Male — 6 39 — 6 39 — — — 
			  Female — — 10 — — 10 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 6 49 — 6 49 — — — 
			 Dorset Male — 2 16 — 2 16 — — — 
			  Female — — 6 — — 6 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 2 22 — 2 22 — — — 
			 Durham Male — 3 25 — 3 24 — — 1 
			  Female — — 3 — — 3 — — — 
			  Total — 3 28 — 3 27 — — 1 
			 Essex Male — 3 28 — 3 27 — — — 
			  Female — — 8 — — 8 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 3 36 — 3 35 — — — 
			 Gloucestershire Male — 1 16 — 1 16 — — 1 
			  Female — 2 — — 2 — — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 3 16 — 3 16 — — 1 
			 Greater Manchester Male — 2 50 — 2 49 — — 1 
			  Female — 1 16 — — 16 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Other — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 3 66 — 2 65 — — 1 
			 Hampshire Male — 8 53 — 8 53 — — — 
			  Female — 2 9 — 1 9 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Other — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 10 62 — 9 62 — — — 
			 Hertfordshire Male — — 19 — — 19 — — — 
			  Female — — 11 — — 11 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Other — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — — 30 — — 30 — — — 
			 Humberside Male — 2 28 — 2 28 — — 1 
			  Female — 1 2 — 1 2 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 3 30 — 3 30 — — 1 
			 Kent Male — 3 37 — 3 35 — — — 
			  Female — — 12 — — 12 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 3 49 — 3 47 — — — 
			 Lancashire Male — 4 65 — 4 61 — — — 
		
	
	
		
			  Female — 1 8 — 1 8 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 5 73 — 5 69 — — — 
			 Leicestershire Male — 2 13 — 2 11 — — — 
			  Female — — 2 — — 2 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 2 15 — 2 13 — — — 
			 Lincolnshire Male — 3 17 — 3 17 — — — 
			  Female — — 4 — — 4 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 3 21 — 3 21 — — — 
			 London, City of Male — — 1 — — 1 — — — 
			  Female — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — — 1 — — 1 — — — 
			 Merseyside Male — — 14 — — 13 — — — 
			  Female — — 2 — — 2 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Other — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — — 16 — — 15 — — — 
			 Metropolitan Police Male — 4 84 — 3 79 — — 1 
			  Female — — 23 — — 23 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Other — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 4 107 — 3 102 — — 1 
			 Norfolk Male — 3 14 — 3 12 — — — 
			  Female — 1 3 — 1 3 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 4 17 — 4 15 — — — 
			 Northamptonshire Male — 2 17 — 2 17 — — — 
			  Female — — 4 — — 4 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Other — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 2 21 — 2 21 — — — 
			 Northumbria Male — 4 61 — 4 58 — — — 
			  Female — 1 12 — — 11 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 5 73 — 4 69 — — — 
			 North Yorkshire Male — 2 31 — 2 31 — — — 
			  Female — — 4 — — 4 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 2 35 — 2 35 — — — 
			 Nottinghamshire Male — 1 22 — 1 22 — — — 
			  Female — 1 4 — 1 4 — — — 
			  Total — 2 26 — 2 26 — — — 
			 South Yorkshire Male — 2 34 — 2 33 — — 1 
			  Female — — 4 — — 4 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 2 38 — 2 37 — — 1 
			 Staffordshire Male — 2 24 — 2 24 — — 1 
			  Female — — 4 — — 4 — — — 
			  Total — 2 28 — 2 28 — — 1 
			 Suffolk Male — 1 8 — 1 7 — — — 
			  Female — — 4 — — 4 — — — 
		
	
	
		
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Other — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 1 12 — 1 11 — — — 
			 Surrey Male — 1 27 — 1 24 — — — 
			  Female — — 7 — — 7 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — 1 — — 1 — — — 
			  Total — 1 35 — 1 32 — — — 
			 Sussex Male — 5 38 — 5 38 — — — 
			  Female — — 3 — — 3 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 5 41 — 5 41 — — — 
			 Thames Valley Male — 3 45 — 3 44 — — 1 
			  Female — — 5 — — 4 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Other — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 3 50 — 3 48 — — 1 
			 Warwickshire Male — — 19 — — 18 — — — 
			  Female — — 1 — — 1 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Other — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — — 20 — — 19 — — — 
			 West Mercia Male — 1 32 — 1 32 — — — 
			  Female — — 4 — — 3 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 1 36 — 1 35 — — — 
			 West Midlands Male — 5 42 — 5 39 — — — 
			  Female — — 10 — — 10 — — 1 
			  Not Stated — — 1 — — 1 — — — 
			  Total — 5 53 — 5 50 — — 1 
			 West Yorkshire Male — 3 51 — 2 50 — — — 
			  Female — — 10 — — 9 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 3 61 — 2 59 — — — 
			 Wiltshire Male — 2 11 — 2 11 — — — 
			  Female — — 2 — — 1 — — — 
			  Other — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 2 13 — 2 12 — — — 
			 Dyfed Powys Male — — 15 — — 15 — — — 
			  Female — — 6 — — 6 — — — 
			  Total — — 21 — — 21 — — — 
			 Gwent Male — 1 15 — 1 15 — — — 
			  Female — — 5 — — 5 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Other — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 1 20 — 1 20 — — — 
			 North Wales Male — 1 25 — 1 25 — — — 
			  Female — — 4 — — 4 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Other — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 1 29 — 1 29 — — — 
			 South Wales Male — 7 41 — 7 40 — — — 
			  Female — — 13 — — 13 — — — 
		
	
	
		
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Other — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 7 54 — 7 53 — — — 
			 England and Wales Male — 101 1250 — 99 1212 — — 10 
			  Female — 11 262 — 7 256 — — 1 
			  Not Stated — — 2 — — 2 — — — 
			  Other — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 112 1514 — 106 1470 — — 11 
			            
			 2011           
			 Avon and Somerset Male — 3 28 — 3 28 — — — 
			  Female — — 8 — — 8 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Other — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 3 36 — 3 36 — — — 
			 Bedfordshire Male — 1 11 — 1 10 — — — 
			  Female — — 3 — — 3 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 1 14 — 1 13 — — — 
			 Cambridgeshire Male — — 10 — — 10 — — — 
			  Female — 1 2 — 1 2 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 1 12 — 1 12 — — — 
			 Cheshire Male — 3 23 — 3 22 — — — 
			  Female — — 7 — — 7 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 3 30 — 3 29 — — — 
			 Cleveland Male — 2 18 — 2 18 — — — 
			  Female — — 2 — — 2 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 2 20 — 2 20 — — — 
			 Cumbria Male — 2 13 — 2 13 — — — 
			  Female — — 4 — — 4 — — — 
			  Total — 2 17 — 2 17 — — — 
			 Derbyshire Male — — 12 — — 12 — — — 
			  Female — — 7 — — 7 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Other — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — — 19 — — 19 — — — 
			 Devon and Cornwall Male — 6 31 — 6 30 — — — 
			  Female — — 7 — — 6 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 6 38 — 6 36 — — — 
			 Dorset Male — 3 12 — 3 12 — — — 
			  Female — — 2 — — 2 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 3 14 — 3 14 — — — 
			 Durham Male — — 20 — — 20 — — — 
			  Female — — 7 — — 7 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — — 27 — — 27 — — — 
			 Essex Male — — 28 — — 27 — — — 
		
	
	
		
			  Female — — 3 — — 3 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — — 31 — — 30 — — — 
			 Gloucestershire Male — 4 11 — 4 11 — — — 
			  Female — — 4 — — 4 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 4 15 — 4 15 — — — 
			 Greater Manchester Male — 10 31 — 10 29 — — — 
			  Female — — 9 — — 9 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 10 40 — 10 38 — — — 
			 Hampshire Male — 4 42 — 4 40 — — — 
			  Female — — 9 — — 9 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 4 51 — 4 49 — — — 
			 Hertfordshire Male — 3 17 — 3 16 — — — 
			  Female — — 6 — — 6 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 3 23 — 3 22 — — — 
			 Humberside Male — 3 19 — 3 17 — — — 
			  Female — — 3 — — 3 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 3 22 — 3 20 — — — 
			 Kent Male — 3 36 — 3 36 — — — 
			  Female — — 8 — — 8 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 3 44 — 3 44 — — — 
			 Lancashire Male — 5 31 — 5 30 — — — 
			  Female — — 5 — — 5 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 5 36 — 5 35 — — — 
			 Leicestershire Male — — 12 — — 11 — — — 
			  Female — — 4 — — 4 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Other — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — — 16 — — 15 — — — 
			 Lincolnshire Male — — 16 — — 15 — — — 
			  Female — — 5 — — 5 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — — 21 — — 20 — — — 
			 London, City of Male — — 1 — — 1 — — — 
			  Female — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — — 1 — — 1 — — — 
			 Merseyside Male — 1 17 — 1 14 — — — 
			  Female — — 6 — — 6 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 1 23 — 1 20 — — — 
			 Metropolitan Police Male — 4 54 — 4 51 — — 1 
			  Female — 1 17 — 1 17 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — 1 — — 1 — — — 
			  Other — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 5 72 — 5 69 — — 1 
		
	
	
		
			 Norfolk Male — 3 13 — 3 12 — — — 
			  Female — — 1 — — 1 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 3 14 — 3 13 — — — 
			 Northamptonshire Male — 1 14 — 1 14 — — — 
			  Female — — — — — — — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Other — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 1 14 — 1 14 — — — 
			 Northumbria Male — 9 45 — 9 44 — 1 — 
			  Female — — 8 — — 7 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 9 53 — 9 51 — 1 — 
			 North Yorkshire Male — 3 25 — 3 25 — — — 
			  Female — — 5 — — 5 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 3 30 — 3 30 — — — 
			 Nottinghamshire Male — 2 19 — 2 18 — — — 
			  Female — — 4 — — 4 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 2 23 — 2 22 — — — 
			 South Yorkshire Male — — 26 — — 24 — — — 
			  Female — 1 5 — 1 5 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 1 31 — 1 29 — — — 
			 Staffordshire Male — 2 17 — 2 16 — — — 
			  Female — — 6 — — 6 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Other — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 2 23 — 2 22 — — — 
			 Suffolk Male — — 9 — — 8 — — — 
			  Female — — 2 — — 2 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — — 11 — — 10 — — — 
			 Surrey Male — — 15 — — 15 — — — 
			  Female — — 4 — — 4 — — — 
			  Total — — 19 — — 19 — — — 
			 Sussex Male — 2 22 — 2 21 — — — 
			  Female — — 6 — — 6 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 2 28 — 2 27 — — — 
			 Thames Valley Male — 3 36 — 2 36 — — — 
			  Female — — 10 — — 10 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Other — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 3 46 — 2 46 — — — 
			 Warwickshire Male — 1 6 — 1 6 — — — 
			  Female — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 1 6 — 1 6 — — — 
			 West Mercia Male — 4 20 — 4 19 — — — 
			  Female — — 2 — — 2 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			  Total — 4 22 — 4 21 — — — 
			 West Midlands Male — — 31 — — 31 — — — 
			  Female — — 4 — — 4 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — 1 — — 1 — — — 
			  Total — — 36 — — 36 — — — 
			 West Yorkshire Male — 3 26 — 3 23 — — — 
			  Female — — 4 — — 4 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 3 30 — 3 27 — — — 
			 Wiltshire Male — 1 5 — 1 5 — — — 
			  Female — — 2 — — 2 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 1 7 — 1 7 — — — 
			 Dyfed Powys Male — 1 12 — 1 12 — — — 
			  Female — — 1 — — 1 — — — 
			  Total — 1 13 — 1 13 — — — 
			 Gwent Male — — 21 — — 21 — — — 
			  Female — — 4 — — 4 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — — 25 — — 25 — — — 
			 North Wales Male — 1 19 — 1 18 — — — 
			  Female — — 8 — — 8 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 1 27 — 1 26 — — — 
			 South Wales Male — 3 30 — 3 30 — — — 
			  Female — — 12 — — 11 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — — — — — — — — 
			  Total — 3 42 — 3 41 — — — 
			 England and Wales Male — 96 904 — 95 871 — 1 1 
			  Female — 3 216 — 3 213 — — — 
			  Not Stated — — 2 — — 2 — — — 
			  Other — — — — — — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			  Total — 99 1122 — 98 1086 — 1 1 
			 (1) Includes offences under the following statutes: Policing and Crime Act 2009 S.30 Road Traffic Act 1988 S.5(1)(a) Road Traffic Act 1988 S.5(1)(b) Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 S.12 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 Sch.12 P.5 Licensing Act 1902 S.6(2B) Licensing Act 1902 S.6(2C) Licensing Act 2003 S.137 Licensing Act 2003 S.138 Licensing Act 2003 S.141 Licensing Act 2003 S.142 Licensing Act 2003 S.146 Licensing Act 2003 S.147 Licensing Act 2003 S.147A Licensing Act 2003 S.149 (1) & (7)(a) Licensing Act 2003 S.149 (3), (4) & (7)(b) Licensing Act 2003 S.150(1) Licensing Act 2003 S.151 Licensing Act 2003 S.152 Licensing Act 2003 S.153 Licensing Act 2003 S.156 Licensing Act 2003 S.157 Confiscation of Alcohol (Young Persons) Act 1997 S.1 Licensing Act 2003 S.145 Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc) Act 1985 SS.1(4) & 1A(4) Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc) Act 1985 S.2(2) Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc) Act 1985 SS.5B(3), 5C,(4), & 5D(3) Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc) Act 1985 SS.1(2) & 1A(2) Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc) Act 1985 SS.1(3) & 1A(3) Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc) Act 1985 S.2(1) Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc) Act 1985 SS.3(10), 5B(2), 5C(3) & 5D(2) Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc) Act 1985 S.5C(5) Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc) Act 1985 S.6(2) (2) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice.

Alternatives to Prison

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will require probation trusts to publish the outcome of community sentences, the details of payback schemes and reoffending rates on a fixed and permanent basis.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice publishes annually the probation trust performance ratings and other measures of performance, including completion rates for orders and licences and for community payback requirements:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/prisons-and-probation/prison-probation-performance-info
	In addition, each quarter the Department publishes proven reoffending rates for offenders supervised by probation trusts:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/reoffending/proven-re-offending
	Probation trusts are required to prepare an annual report giving an overview of their community payback activities. The report includes information relating to the work projects that were completed and the range of beneficiary organisations and criminal justice partner agencies. These are normally published on probation trusts' individual websites.

British Overseas Territories

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many full-time equivalent civil servants in his Department are working on matters related to the UK Overseas Territories.

Damian Green: Within the Ministry of Justice (Ministry of Justice Headquarters, HM Courts and Tribunals Service, National Offender Management Service and Office of the Public Guardian) there are two civil servants whose responsibilities include working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to provide justice support to the Overseas Territories. Between them the work accounts for around 0.7 of a full-time equivalent member of staff.

Buildings

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what occupation costs of each type are incurred for each property used by his Department.

Damian Green: The Ministry of Justice estate comprises over 1,600 properties, including courts, tribunals, prison and young offender institutions, prison officers' quarters and administrative properties. Information on the occupation costs (rents, rates, service charges, maintenance, security, cleaning and utilities) incurred for each property used by the Department is not collated centrally and this information could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Community Orders

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what consideration he has given to extending the use of litter picking as part of community schemes.

Jeremy Wright: Community Payback requires offenders to do unpaid work which benefits the community. Members of the public are encouraged to identify Community Payback work projects for offenders. Public nomination of work projects helps to ensure that Community Payback provides real benefits to local communities. The Government plan to increase the number of Community Payback work projects nominated by members of the public.
	One of the most frequently requested Community Payback tasks is the clearance of litter and illegally disposed of rubbish. These are ideal tasks to be completed by offenders undertaking Community Payback.

Coroners and Justice Act 2009

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he intends Section 36 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 to be brought into force.

Helen Grant: I intend to commence Section 36 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 in the summer, subject to parliamentary timetabling.

Courts: Sunderland

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer of 9 February 2011, Official Report, column 241W, on courts: Sunderland, what progress has been made on the proposed rebuilding of court premises in Sunderland; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Grant: HM Courts and Tribunals Service continues to keep the use of its estate under review to ensure it meets operational requirements. Any new investment proposals, such as the Sunderland scheme, would be part of wider considerations of the HMCTS estate as a whole.

Electronic Tagging

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will review the electronic monitoring of offenders in the UK.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice regularly reviews the performance of the electronic monitoring providers in England and Wales as part of its contract management arrangements.
	We are currently putting out to competition new contracts for the delivery of electronic monitoring services in England and Wales. The new contracts will allow us to introduce the most advanced technology, improving delivery and providing better value for taxpayers.
	Electronic monitoring in Scotland and Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the respective national Executives, under the devolved criminal justice arrangements.

Employment Tribunals Service

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  if he will provide a breakdown, by jurisdiction, of the number of (a) monetary awards and (b) non-monetary awards made by employment tribunals in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13 to date;
	(2)  how many unpaid employment tribunal awards and Acas settlements have been passed to the High Court enforcement officers in financial year 2012-13 to date; how many of those unpaid awards and settlements (a) have been fully enforced, (b) have been partially enforced, (c) have been enforced with payments in instalments, (d) are still ongoing and (e) have been closed as unenforceable;
	(3)  pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2012, Official Report, column 349W, on Employment Tribunals Service, how many of the unpaid employment tribunal awards and Acas settlements passed to the High Court enforcement officers in financial year 2011-12 (a) have now been fully enforced, (b) have now been partially enforced, paid in part, (c) have now been enforced with payments in instalments, (d) are still ongoing and (e) have now been closed as unenforceable.

Helen Grant: The Ministry of Justice publishes, annually and quarterly, statistical data on workload trends in tribunals including employment tribunals. These data include that on the volume of complaints presented to, and disposed by, employment tribunals, broken down by jurisdictional type. However, claims made to employment tribunals can be made up of one or more jurisdictional complaint(s) and, therefore, the volume of jurisdictional complaints disposed in favour of a claimant will not necessarily correlate to the number of successful claims disposed of, or to the volume of monetary awards made in favour of individual claimants.
	Monetary awards can be made by employment tribunals where a claimant is successful at a hearing, or wins a default judgment. Some information is collated centrally on the number of monetary awards made but it is only partial. It includes only information in respect of most (but not necessarily all) complaints about unfair dismissal or discrimination. Data in respect of monetary awards made in other types of claims are not collated centrally nor are data on the number of non-monetary awards made. To provide them, we would have to trawl, manually, hard copy tribunal files. Accordingly, this could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The tables set out the number of claims, broken down by jurisdictional type, that were successful at hearing or where default judgment was entered. They also set out, where collated centrally and available, the number of monetary awards that were made in those jurisdictional categories.
	Table 1 covers data for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 financial years. Table 2 covers the same information, insofar as it is available, for the 2012-13 financial year to date. It covers only the first two quarters (April to September), where information is available to report publicly, in line with Official Statistics protocols.
	The endnotes to the tables set out further detail to explain how the data were gathered, and the limitations of its reliability.
	
		
			 Number of successful and default judgment claims by jurisdiction for 2010-11 and 2011-12 
			  2010-11 2011-12 
			 1(st) jurisdiction recorded(1) Successful at hearing Successful default judgments Number of monetary awards made(2) Successful at hearing Successful default judgments Number of monetary awards made(2) 
			 Unfair dismissal 3,400 990 2,600 3,300 920 2,300 
			 Wages Act 2,000 1,200 (3)— 1,300 1,100 (3)— 
			 Breach of contract 1,600 840 (3)— 990 880 (3)— 
			 Redundancy pay 1,500 1,600 (3)— 1,800 1,500 (3)— 
			 Sex discrimination 140 41 170 140 26 170 
			 Race discrimination 72 20 72 76 6 58 
			 Disability discrimination 100 21 72 110 10 78 
			 Religious belief discrimination 8 3 10 0 1 10 
			 Sexual orientation discrimination 9 3 12 7 1 10 
			 Age discrimination 39 6 26 10 10 23 
			 Working time 400 300 (3)— 340 340 (3)— 
			 Equal pay 260 1 (3)— 24 1 (3)— 
			 National minimum wage 14 6 (3)— 12 0 (3)— 
			 Others 1,800 650 (3)— 2,300 260 (3)— 
			 All 11,400 5.600 (3)— 10,400 5,100 (3)— 
		
	
	
		
			 Number of successful and default judgment claims by jurisdiction for 2012-13 
			  2012-13 (year to date, to end of Quarter 2 to September 2012) 
			 1(st) Jurisdiction recorded(1) Successful at hearing Successful Default judgments Number of monetary awards made(2) 
			 Unfair dismissal 1,600 410 (3)— 
			 Wages Act 670 650 (4)— 
			 Breach of contract 560 440 (4)— 
			 Redundancy pay 660 670 (4)— 
			 Sex discrimination 46 10 (3)— 
			 Race discrimination 32 6 (3)— 
			 Disability discrimination 46 10 (3)— 
			 Religious belief discrimination 1 0 (3)— 
			 Sexual orientation discrimination 7 1 (3)— 
			 Age discrimination 5 4 (3)— 
			 Working time 180 150 (4)— 
			 Equal pay 1 0 (4)— 
			 National minimum wage 5 2 (4)— 
		
	
	
		
			 Others 1,000 350 (4)— 
			 All 4,800 2,700 (3)— 
			 (1) Where data are drawn from the ET database about types of claims (rather than jurisdictional complaints) disposed of, it relates only to instances where the complaint type reported against was recorded as the first complaint within that claim. E.g. in a multi-jurisdictional claim involving unfair dismissal and sex discrimination, the database will only be able to report on the claim-level (rather than complaint-level) disposal by reference to the first-recorded complaint—in this instance unfair dismissal. Assuming the sex discrimination complaint was also successful, this would not be reported on in the 'Successful at Hearing' column. (2) Where monetary awards are concerned, the database records awards made in each applicable jurisdictional category. The cumulative number of monetary awards made, therefore, is not necessarily the same as the number of claimants who received monetary awards. Some claimants could have received awards in one claim relating to two (or more) separate complaints, for example. In these statistics, this would be recorded as two separate monetary awards. (3) Not collated centrally. (4) Not yet available. Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the following conventions: 1000s to the nearest 100; 100s to the nearest 10. 2. Numbers are independently rounded. Source: Employment tribunal database and annual reports (HM Courts and Tribunals Service, Ministry of Justice) 
		
	
	An exercise is currently under way to collect the first six months of data for financial year 2012-13 (April 2012 to September 2012) for the Employment Tribunal Fast Track and these figures will be available by the end of March 2013.
	Data for the second half of the 2012-13 financial year (October 2012 to March 2013) will be available in September 2013.
	I will write to you with the details thereafter on each occasion.
	Pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2012, Official Report, column 349W, it is not possible to provide an update for those 553 cases which remained subject, as of April 2012, to ongoing enforcement activity. While Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) collects data on a quarterly basis regarding the overall numbers and net outcomes of claimants using the Employment Tribunal Fast Track Scheme, it does not identify specific cases. It is therefore not possible to track enforcement outcomes for specific cases from quarter to quarter.

Employment Tribunals Service

Gordon Birtwistle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many awards for unpaid wages made to employees through the employment tribunal were not settled by the employer within (a) six months, (b) one year or (c) more than one year in each year since 2007;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the total amount awarded to employees for unpaid wages through the employment tribunal process since 2007.

Helen Grant: Monetary awards can be made by employment tribunals where a claimant is successful at a hearing, or wins a default judgment. Some information is collated centrally on the number of monetary awards made but it is only partial. It includes only information in respect of most (but not necessarily all) complaints about unfair dismissal or discrimination. Data on monetary awards made in respect of other types of complaints including those where the employer has failed to pay wages or make unauthorised deduction from wages are not collated centrally. To provide them, we would have to trawl, manually, hard copy tribunal files or judgments. Accordingly, this could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Without reliable, centrally collated, management information, it is very difficult to provide an account or reliable estimate for the number of awards, or their value. No estimate is made but the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has commissioned a research project to examine the reasons behind non-payment of awards to ensure that any action taken in this area is targeted and creates the right incentives. The field work is about to commence and the project is due to report in June.
	In May 2009, the Ministry of Justice published research, conducted by IFF Research Ltd, which considered payment and non-payment of employment tribunal awards. That research is available via the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/employment-tribunal-awards.pdf?type=Finjan-Download&slot=00000156&id=00000D55&location=0A640210

Employment Tribunals Service

Gordon Birtwistle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much awarded to employees through the tribunal process for unpaid wages since 2007 remains unpaid.

Helen Grant: Where an employment tribunal makes a judgment with an element of a monetary award, that judgment will be issued to the parties involved, and the respondent will be directed to pay as appropriate. If the respondent fails to satisfy that award (i.e. fails to make the appropriate payment), the claimant is then able to bring enforcement proceedings through, a civil court. Therefore the employment tribunal has no means of ascertaining what awards are satisfied, and what awards are not. Nor would there be any benefit for the claimant to give that information to the tribunal, as it has no powers to take any further steps. As a result there is no information held on the number of awards that are satisfied, or the number that remain unpaid.
	In May 2009, the Ministry of Justice published research, conducted by IFF Research Ltd, which considered payment and non-payment of employment tribunal awards. That research is available via the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/employment-tribunal-awards.pdf?type=Finjan-Download&slot=00000156&id=00000D55&location=0A640210

HM Courts and Tribunals Service: Herefordshire

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which properties are (a) owned and (b) occupied by HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) in Herefordshire; whether the properties owned are owned by (i) freehold and (ii) leasehold; what the extent of occupation is of each property; and whether HMCTS benefits from any leases on each such property.

Helen Grant: HM Courts and Tribunals Service occupies three properties in Herefordshire but does not own any of these. One of the properties it occupies is operated as a PFI and the two further properties are occupied under leasehold agreements. Details of all three properties, including their extent of occupation, are included in the following table.
	
		
			 Property Extent of occupation Type of occupancy 
			 Hereford county court 1st floor only (500m(2)) Leasehold 
			 Hereford Crown court Majority of building (1,265m(2)) Leasehold 
			 Hereford magistrates court Whole building (1,644m(2)) PFI 
		
	
	HM Courts and Tribunals Service gains no financial benefits via sublet or Memorandum of Terms of Occupancy of space at any of these properties.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Andrew McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what undertakings or correspondence he has had from the insurance industry that motor insurance premiums will be reduced as a result of lower fixed recoverable costs in the extended portal; and if he will place any such correspondence in the Library.

Helen Grant: At the Prime Minister's insurance summit on 14 February 2012, the insurance industry undertook to pass onto customers the savings resulting from the Government's commitment to reduce the £1,200 costs currently available to lawyers in the Road Traffic Accident Personal Injury scheme. In line with their commitment, the Government announced on 27 February that these costs will reduce to £500 on 30 April 2013.

Personation: Armed Forces

Michael Ellis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions there have been in (a) the UK and (b) Northamptonshire for crimes of deception related to the impersonation of armed forces personnel in the last 12 months.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. However, not all offences are individually reported within the centrally held data. Offences of wearing military uniforms without authority under the Uniforms Act 1894 are reported as part of a miscellaneous group of offences, and it is not possible to separately identify prosecutions for these specific offences.
	Statistics for Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for the Scottish Government and the Department of Justice Northern Ireland.

Prisoners

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what (a) European and (b) other international laws, conventions and directives govern the way the UK manages its prison inmates.

Jeremy Wright: The Prison Act 1952, the Prison Rules 1999 and the Young Offender Institution Rules 2000 provide the statutory basis upon which prisoners are managed in England and Wales. As public authorities, prisons must also comply with the Human Rights Act 1998, which domestically incorporates the European Convention on Human Rights. Prisons are a devolved matter and both Scotland and Northern Ireland are responsible for their own prisons.
	The main European and international measures that influence the way in which prisoners are managed include:
	(a) the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the Council of Europe Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights.
	(b) the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; and the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (and its Optional Protocol).

Sexual Offences: Witnesses

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what information his Department holds on how many barristers have been disciplined for their treatment of a witness who was testifying that he or she had been sexually assaulted.

Helen Grant: We do not hold this information. The discipline of barristers is a matter for the Bar Standards Board, the regulatory arm of the Bar Council. The Bar Standards Board is independent of Government but has provided us with the following information.
	No barristers have been disciplined by the Bar Standards Board for their treatment of a witness who was testifying that he or she had been sexually assaulted.

Work Capability Assessment: Appeals

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many appeals against a work capability assessment decision were withdrawn following the notification of death of the appellant in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013 to date.

Helen Grant: The First-tier Tribunal—Social Security and Child Support (SSCS), administered by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS)—hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions decisions on entitlement to employment and support allowance (ESA), decisions in which the work capability assessment (WCA) is a factor.
	The following table shows the number of ESA (WCA) appeals that were withdrawn following the notification of the death of an appellant in 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12 and April to September 2012 (the latest period for which statistics have been published). Appeals can be made against elements of an ESA award made, such as the rate of entitlement, as well as against the decision to refuse ESA.
	
		
			 ESA (WCA) appeals(1) that have been withdrawn following notification on the death of the appellant 
			 Period ESA (WCA) Appeal receipts in the period(2) Number of appeals withdrawn following death of the appellant 
			 April 2009 to March 2010 122,400 5 
			 April 2010 to March 2011 184,800 16 
			 April 2011 to March 2012 165,300 12 
			 April 2012 to September 2012 117,000 6 
			 (1) The above table includes previously published data management information and previously published. (2) Data rounded to the nearest hundred.

Youth Courts

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how much his Department has spent on the youth courts system in each year since 2001;
	(2)  how much his Department has spent on (a) improving existing court and tribunal facilities and (b) new court and tribunal facilities in each year since 2001; and how much was spent on each type of facility and each type of court or tribunal.

Helen Grant: Owing to machinery of government changes and departmental restructures since 2001 the information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.